Jonathan Gold

Jonathan Gold (1960–2018) was an American food critic and writer known for chronicling Los Angeles’s diverse food culture. In 2007, he became the first restaurant critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

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Sushi Nozawa: A Los Angeles sushi restaurant founded by chef Kazunori Nozawa and known for its strict sushi traditions. Gold’s vivid review helped make this Sherman Oaks restaurant a touchstone in his writing.
Los Angeles Times: A daily newspaper founded in Los Angeles in 1881 and one of the largest newspapers in the United States. Gold’s Pulitzer-winning restaurant criticism appeared in the newspaper’s California section.
Ruth Reichl: An American food writer, editor, and restaurant critic who served as editor in chief of Gourmet. Reichl and Gold both brought personal voice and cultural reporting to American restaurant criticism.
Food criticism: Writing that evaluates food, restaurants, cooking, and the cultures surrounding them. Gold expanded its scope from dining-room judgment to the history and communities behind meals.
Kogi Korean BBQ: A Los Angeles food truck company that brought Korean-Mexican fusion tacos to wide attention. Gold covered Kogi as an emblem of the city’s evolving street-food culture.
LA Weekly: An alternative weekly newspaper covering Los Angeles news, arts, culture, and entertainment. Gold developed his citywide restaurant voice while writing for this paper.
Jonathan Waxman: An American chef associated with California cuisine and restaurants including Michael's in Santa Monica. Waxman’s cooking belongs to the California restaurant scene Gold chronicled.
Immigrant cuisine in the United States: Food traditions and restaurant practices brought to and developed within the United States by immigrant communities. Gold’s attention to immigrant-owned restaurants helped establish their place in mainstream food coverage.
Taco trucks in Los Angeles: Mobile food businesses serving tacos across Los Angeles, often specializing in regional Mexican cooking. His reporting treated taco trucks as serious culinary destinations, not lesser substitutes for restaurants.
Gourmet (magazine): An American food magazine published from 1941 to 2009, covering cooking, restaurants, and food culture. Gold’s early writing there connected restaurant criticism with broader food reporting.