An Interview with the Amateur Gourmet

Featuring everything from comic strips to music videos, the Amateur Gourmet has become one of the most popular food blogs out there with its carefree sense of humor and down to earth attitude towards food. What other website would have featured a cupcake recipe inspired by Janet Jackson’s infamous Superbowl performance? The blog’s mastermind, Adam Roberts, sat down with us to talk about life after Nipplegate, his new book, and what it’s like to be one of the chosen few among food bloggers.

D: Your book, “The Amateur Gourmet: How to Chop, Shop, and Table-Hop Like a Pro (Almost)”, just came out in stores, how’s it doing so far?

A: I’m really excited by the response. The book’s gotten really great press and almost all of the comments I’ve gotten from readers, both new and old, have been really positive. Plus, when I stake out my book at the Union Square Barnes & Noble, at least one person glances at it every 45 minutes.

D: Your blog is immensely popular, why do you think you’ve had this degree of success?

Hmmm - a few things, probably:

1. Relatability---I’m not a pretentious, overeducated cook. I’m just like everyone else.
2. Humor---I don’t take myself too seriously.
3. Persistence---I keep at it, even when I make a mistake or offend my readers or write an unpopular post. I think persistence is key when it comes to blogging.


Fun? What’s that? Actually, it’s funny, at this point I think of all this as my job, but it’s a job I really like doing. So, I probably find the most fun just writing on my blog the way I did when I started it almost four years ago; I have the most freedom and I can take the biggest risks. But I love reaching out to new audiences, too.

D: What other blogs and sites do you read?

I read a ton. Non-food-blog wise, I like kottke.org, towleroad, and—I’m embarrassed to say—All That Chat, a theater message board. As for food blogs, where do I begin? The ones I check most often throughout the day are the ones that update the most frequently: eater.com, Serious Eats, Grub Street. Then there are the thousands of just regular food blogs that I read to stay up on my friends: Chocolate & Zucchini, Chez Pim, David Lebovitz, Orangette, Michael Ruhlman, etc etc. Check out the right side of my site for the full list.

D: All kinds of food bloggers are having mainstream success lately – what do you think about Restaurant Girl taking on the food critic position at the Daily News – do you think she can be a trustworthy source and so well recognized in the restaurant community at the same time?

That’s the question of the moment, isn’t it? A few things. Restaurant Girl is her own thing: she built up an audience doing what she does; The Daily News recognized that audience and hired her. I think that’s admirable. What I do think is questionable, and what I think most food writers find questionable, is her choice not to be anonymous. I don’t agree with her that restaurants can only do so much if they know who you are. I think she has a responsibility to at least try to replicate the experience the average consumer would have at whatever restaurant she’s reviewing - her responsibility is to the reader, not herself.

D: The Wall Street Journal just published an article this month about food bloggers, the undisclosed freebies they accept and the restauranteurs that hate them – they even mentioned your infamous review of Le Cirque – do you think of the everyman reviewing as dining democracy?

Absolutely. This subject wouldn’t be an issue if diners—regular people, like 99% of the people who read the web—didn’t turn to the web for information about a restaurant. But they do and because they do, anyone with a computer and a sensibility can become a food critic. And I think that’s great. The real question is: will they grow an audience? Will they do so ethically? What are the limits of food blog restaurant reviews? These questions remain to be answered.

D: You got some flak last year for taking a free truffle-tasting menu at Alain Ducasse – honestly, we would have done the same thing, but do you still take free meals?

When I did that post, I got an e-mail from a friend who is the former food critic for The Atlanta Journal Constitution. He wrote and said, “Adam: that’s the one time you get to do that.” And he was right… I’ll never do anything like that again because, as I said above, credibility is so important. If a restaurateur recognizes me and sends me free food—and, in all honesty, that’s only happened 3 or 4 times since I started my blog—I won’t review that restaurant; or, if I do make mention of it, I’d be entirely upfront about what happened. Otherwise, no free meals.

D: Do restaurants ever notice it’s you? Free meals aside, do you ever get industry benefits like other food writers and critics talk about?

Rarely, but it happens. It just happened the other day here in Park Slope. But, again, it’s rare. As for industry benefits, I get sent cookbooks and foodstuffs to sample, I get PR emails inviting me to restaurant openings, and opportunities to speak to people in the food media. I’d say I get all the perks of a writer or editor at a food magazine, for better or worse

D: So what’s next for you – is a career as a food critic in your future?

Definitely not - I love writing about food, but I don’t necessarily love reviewing restaurants. In fact, loyal readers of my blog will notice I’ve moved away from restaurant reviewing, focusing more on cooking at home, making videos, writing and thinking about food. There are lots of doors that have opened for me since my book came out, so I’m going to travel down many roads and see where they take me. Who knows what the future holds? Keep reading!




Amateur Gourmet's Restaurant Picks on Any Budget!

High-End:
Blue Hill Stone Barns
Jean-Georges
Daniel

Moderate:
Prune
August
Ssam Bar

Cheap:
New Green Bo
Grand Sichuan on St. Mark's
Burger Joint

		Benjamin Kneen