In 2014, Ed Behr earned one of the food industry鈥檚 most prestigious honors: an induction into the James Beard Foundation鈥檚 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Who of Food and Beverage in America.鈥 Over the past thirty years, he has grown his publication, , from a simple newsletter into a respected quarterly journal.
For aspiring food media professionals, artisanal producers and culinary professionals inspired by the ethical and aesthetic questions of our time, Ed鈥檚 uncompromising vision and entrepreneurship stands as a model of excellence. We caught up with the publisher (and new cookbook author!) to learn more about his inspiring career path.
What were you doing before you enrolled at ICE? And what sparked your decision to attend culinary school?
I was working as a carpenter and builder, which I did for about a dozen years. I decided I wanted to open a restaurant, and to do that I felt I had to go to cooking school, not because I wanted to cook in the restaurant, but because I knew I didn鈥檛 know enough to recognize and hire a good chef. In the end, I never opened a restaurant. Since 1986, I鈥檝e been writing about food and wine as the editor and publisher of The Art of Eating.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
First and foremost, my book: . It represents ten years of work鈥攖hough you could say 30 years, since it draws on everything I鈥檝e ever learned about food. I aimed to produce a book of permanent value, one that would remain in print forever.
It鈥檚 a practical guide to deliciousness, one of only two or three books ever written about the broad connoisseurship of food. I鈥檇 like to think that anyone who loves food will feel they have to have it.
On a different plane, the most important thing I鈥檝e done was to write the article 鈥淭he Lost Taste of Pork: Finding a Place for the Iowa Family Farm.鈥 It appeared in The Art of Eating in 1999, and it may have been the first article written for a non-agricultural audience about humane methods for raising pork. It was certainly the first to link methods, breed and taste鈥攖o explain each and how they are connected. I happened to choose the subject of pork without realizing where it would lead.
After Steve Ells, head of the Chipotle chain, read the article, he switched from buying conventional pork to buying humanely raised pork. In doing so, Chipotle provided the first major market for pig farmers鈥攕pecifically Paul Willis and others selling through Niman Ranch鈥攚ho were doing the right thing.
Last year the company bought 135 million pounds of naturally raised meat鈥攑ork, beef and chicken. I realize 鈥渘aturally鈥 is an imprecise word, but in this case it represents a huge leap forward from conventional practices. I鈥檓 proud to have inspired a few people to open idealistic food businesses and related projects. I鈥檝e also given some good writers their first break in print.
Briefly describe a day in your current working life.
Like so many other people, I spend most of my time looking at a computer screen. I try鈥攂ut rarely succeed鈥攖o devote the morning to my own writing. My days are a mix of editing, writing and emailing (writers, editors, photographers, illustrators and people who can help with research). Actual interviews, in which I might quote someone, I normally do over the phone or in person. Now and then I look up something in an ink-on-paper book, as most of what I want to know is still not anywhere online. I also spend a fair amount of time on the nuts and bolts of publishing.
What might people be surprised to learn about your job?
The unfortunate thing is that there isn鈥檛 that much time for cooking, although it鈥檚 part of the foundation of my work.
Where would you like to see yourself in five years?
Spending more time writing. I鈥檝e promised to write two more books. They鈥檙e underway.
Click here to learn more about creative culinary careers outside the kitchen.
