“The first requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite,” wrote AJ Liebling. By his standards, most people I know are supremely well qualified. If you count yourself among them and are curious about the mechanics of food writing, I will be teaching a class on the subject in New Haven, CT in 2015.

Food Writing (HSP249) will be offered at Gateway Community College in downtown New Haven, CT on Wednesday evenings. Aspiring restaurant critics, food bloggers, people looking to break into the non-fiction market and those with a yearning to explore a particular food are all welcome in this class, which starts January 28, 2015. In 15 sessions, we will cover blogging, memoir writing, restaurant reviewing, recipe writing and trade magazine articles.

The only prerequisite is a passion for food and the desire to put thoughts into words. We’ll use Dianne Jacobs’ terrific book Will Write for Food  as our roadmap along with short pieces by a wide range of writers. A couple of my professional colleagues will come in to share their stories of how they got into food writing. Students will even get to try their hand at restaurant reviewing.

It’s a thrill to be invited to teach the class. Contact Stephen Fries, Coordinator Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway for information on registering. Call 203-285-2175 or email Stephen directly at sfries@gatewaycc.edu .

Here is the official course description from the college course catalogue.

HSP* 249 Food Writing 3 S.H.

Students will find a way to express their culinary sensibilities in the form of reviews, essays blogs, media presentations, cookbooks, and recipe writing. Much of the course will be devoted to analyzing both professional and student work.

Wednesdays, from 5:25 PM to 8:15 PM

(The  handwritten menu in the photograph was done by Auguste Escoffier. It is on display in the Musée de l’Art Culinaire in the house where he was born not far from Cannes, France.)