Recently, The Mercury had the opportunity to interview Jordan Barry. Barry is the cousin-in-law of BFA French teacher, Kristi Waite, and a food writer for the popular Vermont newspaper, Seven Days. Jordan Barry writes about local eateries, the newest must-try restaurants, and the general culinary happenings across the state. Below, she discusses with Aidan MacCallum her journey to becoming a food writer as well as what the position requires.
Q: Is food writing your full-time job, or is it something you do on the side?
A: I am a full-time staff member of Seven Days; there is one other full-time food writer on staff, too, and we work with a rotating roster of freelance writers who contribute regularly (once a month or so) or just occasionally throughout the year. Seven Days‘ focus on food is a little unusual for local newspapers, but our section is very well read and drives a lot of traffic for the paper. Freelance/side-gig food writing seems to be more common across the industry, including online publications, trade-specific publications (like business magazines, etc.) and food- and travel-focused magazines.
Q: How did you get started as a food writer?
A: I was in college when I realized that food writing could be a possible career (studying Animal Science and food systems, not writing!). My first internship was with Vermont Magazine, where I learned all about the publishing industry. I also did an internship at EatingWell magazine, which is based in Shelburne. From there, I worked in restaurants and coffee shops to build my food industry chops while writing freelance stories for Vermont Magazine on the side (mostly about homes and gardens, not food). I moved to New York City and attended grad school for a master’s degree in food studies, which led me to my first direct food media gig at Heritage Radio, a food podcast network. It wasn’t exactly writing, but the skills needed for radio are surprisingly similar. I moved back to Vermont to work for Seven Days in 2019, and now write 2-5 food-focused stories per week, from quick restaurant opening news to in-depth profiles and reviews. It’s a lot of work, but I love it.
Q: Are you able to choose the topics you write about, or are they assigned to you?
A: I mostly choose the topics I write about, working with the paper’s other food writer to divide things up based on our interests and the timeliness of what needs to be covered. The restaurant news stories happen pretty quickly, as we try to track everything that’s coming and going in Chittenden County plus high-profile stuff around the state. The longer feature stories and reviews are more driven by what I’m interested in, which tends to be interesting small business stories, drinks, and surprisingly good food in unexpected places. Sometimes my editors will assign me a story, if it’s something we haven’t thought of on our little team or if they feel it takes more priority. All of my stories are edited twice and proofread before they’re published, which has been an incredible way to learn what works and what doesn’t — it’s a lot of feedback every week. I also have done occasional side gigs for travel publications, including writing the Vermont chapter of the Fodor’s New England travel book. I spend so much of my time criss-crossing the state to go to restaurants that it was a pretty easy job, and food and travel writing are similar in their overall approach.
Q: What kind of education and skills are necessary to become a food writer?
A: So much of getting good at writing comes from practice and trying new approaches to stories. Strong interview skills are also really important; you have to like approaching people out of the blue, researching and planning questions, and listening carefully to what they have to say. I find that part to be easier than actually sitting down and writing, but I’m a procrastinator! I’d probably recommend taking more English/writing classes than I did if you decide to go to college, but I’ve also found that many of our contributors took non-traditional paths to journalism, too. In food writing, knowing the subject matter and showing your expertise and interest in the culture of food tends to outweigh journalism training, as long as you’ve got the skills down.
