Drexel Chef Conference Adds a New Panel Discussion on the Role of the Restaurant Critic
And they're bringing some big-shot food writers — Helen Rosner, Joshua David Stein, Stephen Satterfield and Priya Krishna — to talk it out.
There’s the restaurant world pre-#MeToo, and there’s the world we live in today. So when it comes to delineating the role of the modern day restaurant critic, it’s now or never.
Back in January, Inquirer critic Craig LaBan published a piece titled “It’s not my job to pass judgment on a chef’s character”, which prompted a clap-back from the New Yorker’s Helen Rosner (read it below). A few days later, the Washington Post wrangled up even more examples of critics ’round the country pondering this new school of thought: How does a fair and just arbiter of food and drink critique a restaurant in 2018?
Since this year’s theme at the Drexel Chef Conference is sexism in the industry, program director Mike Traud has added a new panel discussion to Day 2 of the conference, and on it, Helen Rosner, Joshua David Stein (Village Voice), Stephen Satterfield (food writer) and Priya Krishna (food writer and author) will be debating all the responsibilities of a food critic today. LaBan won’t likely be a part of the powwow, but Traud says that, at the very least, he’ll have a question or statement from the Inky critic to start the session.
Buy your tickets to the conference here, and read Rosner’s Twitter-storm below:
Ah yes, the “but” of the true ally. pic.twitter.com/2JV02vOakW
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
This is heartbreakingly callow, @CraigLaBan. I’m so disappointed. https://t.co/xtbswssaBR
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
Autocorrect changed callous to callow, and tbh it’s not inaccurate. This is a facile, simplistic, selfish position to take.
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
“But what is the critic’s role and responsibility in all of this as the gatekeeper of culinary glory?”
Well, okay, if you are indeed the gatekeeper, your role & responsibility might be to consider by what standards you keep the damn gate.
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
“Are mere ‘concerns’ all it takes these days to cross someone off the list of contention for a career-changing award or a positive review?”
This is a fun question! One could ask the same thing of disliking a dish or being turned off by dated decor. Isn’t opinion writing WILD?
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
“As someone who’s spent an entire career trying to keep personalities out of the equation…I’ve interviewed screamers, braggarts, liars, and worse.”
Maybe, and hear me out here, okay, maybe you actually *should have* included those things in the equation?
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
Line-by-lining this is a futile exercise, so I will jump right to the point:
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
Critics do not just reflect and amplify culture, they shape it. Crying “not my responsibility” when it comes to character assessment in a character-driven industry is disingenuous at best, and a massive, dangerous abdication of responsibility at worst.
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
If you don’t think this is part of your job, you are bad at your job.
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
The thing that disappoints me is not that people make mistakes — we have all made mistakes, we all live with them. I’m disappointed by a person with a platform and influence preemptively saying “It is not my job to care.”
— Helen Rosner (@hels) January 25, 2018
