Nancy, Our Wednesday papers always have a whole section on cooking/food. This week of course was all about Valentine's dinners and recipes.

I'm sure you will be great at this. Make sure you share your column with us here.

Ann

Sure do, Nancy. Here's a link to the food section of today's Boston Globe. I think writing a column would be fun...

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Section - Boston Globe

Hi Nancy! Congratulations! That is a big honor, and I think you would do a super job! The Detroit Free Press has a cooking section, although it seems to have been downscaled a bit, and I want to say it is on tuesdays but I'm not sure. Usually it's expanded for things like the Super Bowl, Thanksgiving and other 'foodie' holidays. They usually feature an in-season ingredient and post recipes pertaining to that, or in the case of the Super Bowl, finger food, party food etc. You get the idea. I think you will do great if you decide to go for it! Good luck!

Duane

Go for it, Nancy. Our local paper doesn't have a food column, but we only have a weekly paper, it's not daily.

I think maybe the Grand Rapids Press has a food column on one day, but I have a eprsonal vendetta against one of their reporters, so I've boycotted them, LOL.

I do read several food columns on line, including NY Times and the Boston Globe. Oh, and Chrystal forwarded a link to me from the London Times, I think, about "seasonal" ingredients, a new ingredient every column, and always something fresh and in season, or available commonly during that season.

Annie

The LA Times and the Daily News both have weekly food columns. I think it would be exciting to have a resident food reporter here on the forum! Go for it!

Our local free paper has a food section. I like the variety...sometimes it's trying a new something or other from the grocery with a panel of normal people and getting their input; sometimes it's a "fancy" recipe; sometimes it's a quicky recipe; sometimes it's about in season food; sometimes it's more history-type recipes or family favorites or traditions; they've even done "request for a recipe from a restaurant (and if they can't/won't share, then a come-close version); and don't forget contests!

Have fun!

Yay for you, Nancy! You'd be great at this! Go for it!!!

Our Wednesday paper has a food section, lots of local folks, their recipes, stories, etc. I don't read the "national trends" sort of articles.

If I were writing a local food column, I would feature local food producers and regional specialties as well as home cooks and local restaurant chefs/caterers/etc.

Fantastic!! If it works out, your community will love your column.

Ours does focus on local issues, favorites, and specialties as well as Recipes: Lost and Found.

Good LUCK

Teresa has a great suggestion--feature local produce, farmers' markets, local cooks. If there are festivals or fairs in your area with "cook-offs" be sure to get the winning recipe.
Our local paper has a "chef's blog" on-line, and occasional food articles picked up from AP. Not interesting. Somehow it is hard to get dungeness crab here in Central Texas!
You'll do great--and your local paper's subscriptions will soar!

I used to read the Detroit Free Press food column quite a bit at my folks house. I have some good recipes from it, and I heard about a lot of food trends, interesting articles. Of course that was a long, long time ago, when it was just the Free Press, not the News/Press or whatever it's current form is.

As I recall the Grand Rapids Press had a nice food section, but again, I haven't seen it lately. My hometown paper in Allentown, The Morning Call I think has a nice food section sometimes, but I haven't been able to afford to get the paper for several years so my memory is sketchy. I think if they are well written and researched and informative they are an excellent feature for a paper--it would be so fun to write something like that! The only thing I would mention to you, FYI, is one time I asked a colleague at a work potluck for one of her recipes and she refused, saying she never gave out her recipes anymore after she gave one to a friend and later saw it in the paper, winning some kind of contest, attributed to her friend! That's the kind of thing that can happen with recipes so I think you would have to be very careful. Of course that kind of thing can happen here, often very innocuously, since people do forget sometimes where they got a recipe. I try pretty hard now to always put the source with the recipe, but I still find ones with no source from time to time.

Our Wed. paper has an Entree section. As above, it varies in content, but usually cover 2-3 stories or topics, then 1-3 recipes that are relevant.

I like the local articles highlighting local restaurants, farms, people. Not so much the "generic, national" type stuff.

Go for it Nancy!
Deanna

Our local paper has a food section on Wed. People can write in and request lost recipes or recipes from restaruants, and those get published if they can be found. Also the column writer usually has one or two recipes in it. There are articles on wine, different herbs or vegetables, ect. Sometimes a how-to. You'll do a great job if you accept the position.

We also get a weekly agricultural paper with auctions, farm news, almanac info and recipes. I enjoy reading the recipes it in, as sometimes there is a story of where the recipe originated (family history!), or just a funny note with an expirience had with that recipe (might be something a kid said about it, or a mix up of ingredients and how it didn't come out right,ect.)

Tami

Our local paper no longer has a regular food column, but will have a page featuring seasonal recipes from time to time. A weekly insert features "Taste of Home" recipes which my mother likes - I find them too Sandra Lee-ish.

I look forward to the food section in the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine. They switched food editors about a year ago, and while the new folks are good, I miss the old guard. They did a Q&A about food prep, and I always learned something from reading it. They also had great recipes that were not too complicated, but that you didn't see everywhere.

I think you would be great at it. Lots of work, but a fun challenge!

The SF Chronicle has had one of the best food sections ever, on a par with the NY Times. They have just switched from the food section being in the Wed. paper to being in the Sun., a big mistake I think. Sun already has too much paper!

Anyway, there are lots of food columnists in the food section. I think it would be a great job. There are so many things to talk about, just like here. And as a contributer here you would never run out of ideas, the worst for columnists.

Go for it, you'd be great.

Our paper has a food section once a week. It usually follows in season foods and goes over things like the health benefits, storage, canning etc if that applies. Usually 2 or more recipes. If it's something like a berry they will give a dessert recipe but also how to incorporate in a main dish or side.
They do articles with local gardeners from the amateur who's friend called in for an article, to those who sell at the farmer's market. They also feature our local Merc which is organic.
I think in these times many who didn't want to cook at home are now finding it economical to do so and would appreciate ideas. The crock pot meals for the busy workers to the elegant for a newlywed who wants to impress. I think you'll do great.
Best of luck.

Nancy I'm sure you would enjoy writing a food column.

Hopefully it would be once a week and not daily, so you would have time to breathe in between submissions.

It would be an interesting endeavor for you, so do give it a try and post them here so we can read them!

SharonCb

You are all doing a fine job of talking me into this.

Nancy, I think that a nice feature during more difficult economic times would be a dinner & leftovers dinner column. You know, a recipe for a nice family dinner and a recipe to make another dinner from the leftovers.

Many people nowadays do not know how to do that, make a chicken or a roast beef serve for more than one meal, and I think the readers would enjoy that.

It's not on the same level as maybe that of Boston or New York, but we too have a full section for food every week. Here's a link to it, I hope it helps!

Nancy, if anyone can do this, you can! You'll do a great job!

Bri

Our Baton Rouge paper has a Food Section on Thursdays. The link would be www.2theadvocate.com if you're interested. Usually about 5-6 full pages counting the ads, the feature is almost always about local cooks and always has a nice story, photographs and a couple of recipes. In addition there are cookbook reviews, a wine section, info on what will be available at the Farmer's Market that Sat and lots more....

Go for it!

Grace

Guess I should attach the link, huh? :)

Bri

Here is a link that might be useful: Register Guard Entree section

Nancy,
Go for it! I used to write a monthly column for a publisher of trade magazines. Occasionally when his cooking writer would miss a deadline, I would be called upon to write a cooking article. Since I love to cook, the articles were a fun change of pace for me. Whatever you write let your personality shine through. Look for ideas through out your day. Once you start looking, inspirations will seem like they are everywhere. Keep a file of all your ideas so you're never without a topic. Write when you are inspired even if that means writing 5 or 6 articles at a time and getting no sleep. Then you'll have a cushion if you get writer's block.
Best of luck!

Thursday our local paper has the food section. They highlight seasonal holidays, local events, new resturants and they also have a contributing Amish gal who submits recipes.
I suppose St Patty's day recipes will be published soon. The history of serving corned beef and cabbage might be fun.
My Dad, now passed, was a chef, food service instructor for the local Vo-Tech and we had a family catering business. When he retired to a wheelchair after a leg amputation from diabetes he wrote for regional and national disability magazines with his adapted recipes. I have a zazillion of those I could give you permission if you want a diabetic segment.

When we had our catering business we were often interviwed when we catered high profile jobs and clients, our cooking classes, cookie swaps. The reporter seeemd to like different angles in between holidays.

Agreed, once you start looking you will have as many ideas for topics and there are chicken recipes!

Keep in mind you may have to think ahead, depending on your deadline. I was asked to write on preserving classes for the fall just last week.

Nancy, sounds like a fabulous opportunity! I'd go for it in a heartbeat!

I haven't subscribed to either of the major newspapers here in a very long time and our small local papers do not have a food section. (But it might be an idea to suggest to them....)

I checked and the Star Tribune does still have their Taste section. I've included a link. When I used to read it, one of the parts I really liked was when people could write in that they had this fabulous dish at a restaurant (local or not) and would like the recipe. The columnist would then try to obtain the recipe and print it in answer to the request.

Another thing they did that I enjoyed was they would feature a local cook along with their story. Not always anything fancy, just interesting. I have an article I saved from years ago about a widower with 4 kids that cooked easy, flavorful meals for his family and I have made his Chicken with Tortellini several times, now.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Star Tribune Taste section

So, Nancy, have we talked you into it yet?

Annie

Our local paper has a food section on Wednesdays. But it's a total joke.

However, that said, I frequently check newspapers online for recipes and ideas. And to see what others have to say about what their local farmers' markets provide.

Here's an entire page of links to different newspaper's food sections and columns.

Nancy - if I were you, I'd be excited about doing it. It's a great opportunity!

I've started a file with your ideas and another file of likes to columns in other papers.

Linda, check with your small local paper and present them with the idea.
This all came up when I got into a conversation with a friend who is an editor at the paper. Small town newspapers are having a very hard time right now. They are looking for ways to stay afloat. Increased competition from the Internet, decreased advertising dollars and lower circulation are major factors. We can all get the major news via the Internet or TV, but what about the local news? That's where our paper becomes important. Cooking news and ideas based on local ingredients is really an old idea that is becoming new again.

Please continue to pass ideas and links to me. It really helps.

Nancy

Fer sure I would also being taking the oppurtunity, if it paid what my Monday-Friday current one pays.

What is old is new again, never goes out of style!
It built Martha an empire

For a couple of years, I wrote for a small town newspaper, and it was great fun. What I liked most about it was that it gave me an opportunity to talk with almost anyone. I even did man-in-the-street interviews, like What's your favorite Thanksgiving food? I interviewed the local beekeeper, orchard owner, foreign exchange student, cake decorator, caterer, BBQ king, homebrewer, extension agent, school nutritionist, and every chef and restaurant owner in town. In addition, I wrote about singular topics like beans, bread machines, blueberries, almost anything. I wrote about a cookbook that my mother owned that I passed along to my daughter. I interviewed people who returned from a vacation and wrote about their culinary adventures. I did local restaurant reviews and book reviews. Once you get into the swing of it, you'll get more and more creative and have more and more fun with it. Having some back-columns ready to go is a good idea, as someone suggested. If you get sick, get busy, or run low on ideas, you'll be covered. But my guess is that you will have more possibilities than weeks in the year. Every person has a food story. Keeping it local is key. Pass your writing by someone whose opinions you trust, just for the feedback and proofreading. And don't forget your camera.

Our little local paper has a weekly column, but I don't like it. It way too often used canned soups and processed foods as bases for the recipes. Of course, I guess I must remember that most people do cook that way, so others probably like it.

Nancy, I'd do it in a heartbeat! Fun and rewarding.

Our local paper doesn't have a food column, at least not one I've found !!! The Two big city (Toronto) papers have a food "page" once a week but I find them too trendy and rarely see a recipe that interests me.

The local paper where we used to live had a great food column. Her style was to feature a seasonal ingredient and then shared several different recipes . Heck you are already on to that idea!!!! LOL Her recipes were always reliable and fairly down to earth, always family friendly.

My favourite food article of all time used to be in the Toronto Star's TV Guide. I used to go directly there before reading anything else in the entire paper. I still have many of those recipes in my files and should revisit them. The column was Chef's Showcase and it featured a recipe a reader had requested from an area restaurant.

My advice is target your community , promote local foods, and keep it doable by the average cook. Also a good idea to encourage questions and topics from your readers.

Good luck, sounds like a blast!

That sounds great...I always wanted to do this for a local paper on Long Island but never persued it...Good Luck!!!

Nancy, our paper (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) has a great section every Thursday. I almost always find one or two recipes I want to try. Some of my favorite columns include:

The 5:30 Challenge - Meals on the table in less than 30 minutes

In the Kitchen with... : Friends and family can nominate a good cook and give reasons for nominating them. The paper then interviews the cook, including several stock questions like, "What's your most memorable flop?," "...your most indispensible ingredient," "Where did you learn to cook?" etc.

Readers request recipes from a restaurant and the paper prints it, along with photos of the chef and the dish. Restaurants like it because it is a compliment to them and a little free advertising for them.

The Southern Recipe Restoration takes old well-loved receipes and updates them \, making them lighter or more healthful by today's standards.

There are so many ideas like cooking with kids, vegetarian ideas, using local produce, etc.

Good luck and I hope it works out.