Andrew F. Smith

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December 2011

by Andrew F. Smith

Fast Food and Junk Food
An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat

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FEATURED TITLES
by Andrew F. Smith

Starving the South
How the North
Won the Civil War

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Potato
A Global History

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About Andrew F. Smith

Andrew F. Smith is a writer and lecturer on food and culinary history. He serves as the general editor for the Edible Series, published by Reaktion Press. He also teaches Food Studies at the New School University in New York.

Specifically, he has:

• Edited or authored 19 books, including The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, the Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food, Starving the South: How the North Won the Civil War and Potato: A Global History. For more information, click here.

• Written more than 1000 articles, entries and papers on culinary topics.
For more information.

• Delivered over 2000 presentations at regional, national and international conferences.
See his presentation schedule.

• Taught a variety of university courses, including American Culinary History, Contemporary Food Controversies, From Marcus Apicius to Julia Child: Introduction to Culinary History, Advanced Culinary History, Professional Food Writing, Julia Child: Poet of the Appetites, How to Launch Your Food Writing Career, and How to Publish Your Cookbook.

• Been interviewed frequently been interviewed for newspapers and magazines including New York Times, New Yorker, Newsday, Fortune, Daily News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlanta Constitution, Vogue, and Reader’s Digest.
For more information.

• Served as an historical consultant to several food television productions, including “Food Essence” television programs and series that have aired on PBS, the History Channel, the Food Network, Discovery, and Sundance Channel.
For more information.

• Consulted with many not-for-profit organizations and university programs in the humanities and education fields. He has served on advisory committees or on the boards of directors of over thirty not-for-profit organizations. He currently is a member of the Editorial Board for the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) journal, Food, Culture and Society. He has served on the Executive Council of the American Society for Journalists and Authors and has served as past Chair for The Culinary Trust, the philanthropic partner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

• Organized 78 local, national and international conferences, such as the Roger Smith Food Writers’ Conference, Julia Child: Culinary Revolutionary, M. F. K. Fisher: Poet of the Appetites, James Beard: The Quintessential American Epicure, Craig Claiborne and the Invention of Food Journalism, and Clementine Paddleford: America’s First Food Journalist.

Summer Courses at the New School

Drinking: Fifteen Beverages that Shaped American History 15 Sessions, Mondays-Wednesdays, 6-7:50 PM, starts June 6, 2011; ends July 27, 2011 Description: What is American drink? Is it warmed-over traditional British beverages, such as tea, ale, hard cider, syllabubs, toddies? Or versions of ethnic beverages brought by successive waves of immigrants— lager and pilsner, sangria, tequila, bubble tea? Or is it the fiercely marketed creations of America’s beverage industry—Kentucky Bourbon, Kool-Aid, Snapple, Coors, Coca-Cola?

Professional Food Writing 15 Sessions Tuesdays/Thursdays, 6-7:50 PM; June 7, 2011-July 28, 2011 Course Description: The special challenges of professional food writing are explored as students learn how to write and submit inquiry letters, newspaper articles, magazine stories, restaurant reviews, recipes, and op-ed pieces, as well as book and cookbook proposals. We cover research, interviewing, and networking techniques that can help you succeed in the field. Guest speakers include newspaper and magazine editors, acquisition editors, and professional food writers. Good writing skills are a prerequisite. Three credits.

How to Get a Cookbook Published 1 Session, Saturday, June 25, 2011, 10 AM-4PM Julia Child and her co-authors, commenting on their first cookbook venture, say, “We came tottering out of the kitchen with the gleam of authorship lighting our innocent faces.” This course provides both encouragement and sound advice to cooks, recipe collectors, and writers who wish to learn more about getting a cookbook published. Prominent cookbook authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers, discuss the publishing procedure from inception through release.

Topics include determining the market; writing a book proposal; the proper approach to literary agents and publishing houses; contractual considerations; copyright law; the use of photography or artwork; the timeframe for publishing; book promotion, including advertising and public relations; the monies involved; and the possibility of profit. Also discussed is self-publishing, i.e. producing a cookbook for oneself or an organization without using a major publisher. Class meets at New School.