Jonathan Gold

Jonathan Gold, the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, did just that in 2007 for his "zestful, wide-ranging restaurant reviews, expressing the delight of an erudite eater." A native Angeleno, he was a proofreader at L.A. Weekly while still a student at UCLA, and within a few years wrote music and restaurant reviews as well. His "Counter Intelligence" column ran from 1986 to 1990, when he moved it to the L.A. Times , where it appeared until 1996. In 1999, he and his wife,...See more

Jonathan Gold, the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, did just that in 2007 for his "zestful, wide-ranging restaurant reviews, expressing the delight of an erudite eater." A native Angeleno, he was a proofreader at L.A. Weekly while still a student at UCLA, and within a few years wrote music and restaurant reviews as well. His "Counter Intelligence" column ran from 1986 to 1990, when he moved it to the L.A. Times , where it appeared until 1996. In 1999, he and his wife, editor Laurie Ochoa, moved to Gourmet magazine, then later returned together to L.A. Weekly and revived "Counter Intelligence." Gold published a collection of his columns in 2000, was profiled in The New Yorker in 2009, was a National Magazine Award finalist for criticism, was the subject of the 2015 film documentary City of Gold , and was a frequent James Beard Award nominee or winner from 1996 until his death in 2018. See less