David Lebovitz Explained

David Lebovitz is an American author primarily known for writing about food.^[1] He worked as a dessert and pastry chef before starting to write cookbooks.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} He also wrote a memoir about his experiences buying and renovating an apartment in Paris.^[6]

In 1999, two years after Jim Leff and Bob Okumura founded Chowhound, the online discussion forum in 1997, Lebovitz launched his eponymous baking and desserts website.^[7] Thus, he is considered one of the earliest, if not, the original "food blogger".^{[8] [9]} Lesley Chesterman wrote in NUVO in 2022: "Having launched his website in 1999, before food blogs really even existed, you could argue that Lebovitz all but created the genre."

In addition to his food blog,^[10] Lebovitz also publishes a subscriber newsletter on Substack.^[11] The recipes in his books and on his blog are often reprinted (with permission) or adapted in food columns,^{[12] [13]} and he has been interviewed for articles in mainstream digital^{[14] [15] [16]} and legacy media.^{[17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]}

Pre-Paris culinary career

Lebovitz, who was born in 1958^[24] and grew up in Connecticut, started working in restaurant kitchens while a teenager, including in upstate New York, USA.^[25] In the early 1980s, Lebovitz moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked as a line-cook, and then a pastry chef at the Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, known for being an early advocate of farm-to-table cuisine.^[26] Lebovitz worked at Chez Panisse for thirteen years before launching his website and writing his first cook book.^{[27] [28]} He moved to Paris, France in 2004.^[29]

Food blogging in Paris

Since relocating to Paris, Lebovitz' has continued to blog about food.^{[30] [31] [32]} He has published eight cookbooks,^[33] and written guest columns for the Los Angeles Times and the Financial Times.^{[34] [35]} In 2017, Lebovitz published a memoir recounting his experiences with the Parisian real estate market.^[36]

Lebovitz' impact and influence on food blogs and blogging was discussed by Jennifer Lofgren in a 2013 journal article about how food blogs had evolved over the preceding twenty-five years.^[37]

Books

• Lebovitz, D. (2020). Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed.
• Lebovitz, D. (2018). The Perfect Scoop, Revised and Updated: 200 Recipes for Ice Creams, Sorbets, Gelatos, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed.
• Lebovitz, D. (2017). L'appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home. United States: Crown.
• Lebovitz, D. (2014). My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ^[38]
• Lebovitz, D. (2010). Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes. United States: Ten Speed Press.
• Lebovitz, D. (2009). The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City. United States: Broadway Books.
• Lebovitz, D. (2007). The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments. United States: Ten Speed Press.
• Lebovitz, D. (2004). The Great Book of Chocolate: The Chocolate Lover's Guide with Recipes. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed.
• Lebovitz, D. (2003). Ripe for Dessert: 100 Outstanding Desserts with Fruit--Inside, Outside, Alongside. United States: HarperCollins.
• Lebovitz, D. (1999). Room For Dessert: 110 Recipes for Cakes, Custards, Souffles, Tarts, Pies, Cobblers, Sorbets, Sherbets, Ice Creams, Cookies, Candies, and Cordials. United Kingdom: HarperCollins. ^[39]

Selected awards

• Blog of the Decade. Saveur Blog Awards 2019^[40]
• Best Celebrity Food Blog. Saveur Best Food Blog Awards 2012^[41]
• Best Culinary Travel Blog. Saveur Best Food Blog Awards 2011^[42]

References

1. Web site: David Lebovitz The Guardian . 2024-06-08 . www.theguardian.com.
2. News: Mouth . Word of . 2011-11-15 . Masterclass: pastry and puddings with David Lebovitz . 2024-06-08 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
3. Web site: Grief . Amy . June 25, 2018 . Why You Should Never Buy Ice Cream At The Grocery Store Ever Again: David Lebovitz's popular cookbook The Perfect Scoop proves that homemade is always better. . Chatelaine.
4. Web site: The Perfect Scoop, Revised and Updated by David Lebovitz . 2024-05-26 . Penguin Random House Canada . English.
5. Web site: 2020-02-17 . David Lebovitz, NY Times Best Selling Cookbook Author book signing for new book Drinking French . 2024-05-26 . Cranston Herald . en.
6. Web site: Chesterman . Lesley . February 21, 2018 . David Lebovitz . 2024-05-26 . NUVO . en-US.
7. Web site: Suthivarakom . Ganda . 2011-05-09 . A Brief History of Food Blogs . 2024-05-26 . Saveur . en.
8. Web site: Rosner . Helen . Morabito . Greg . 2015-07-06 . How David Lebovitz Went from the Chez Panisse Pastry Kitchen to Being a World-Famous Food Blogger . 2024-05-26 . Eater . en.
9. Rodney . Alexandra . Cappeliez . Sarah . Oleschuk . Merin . Johnston . Josée . 2017-09-05 . The Online Domestic Goddess: An Analysis of Food Blog Femininities . Food, Culture & Society . 20 . 4 . 685–707 . 10.1080/15528014.2017.1357954 . 1552-8014.
10. Web site: 2022-01-18 . Home . 2024-05-26 . David Lebovitz . en-US.
11. Web site: Cheung . Ariel . 2022-12-15 . 9 tried-and-true cookbooks that make perfect holiday gifts — including 3 by Chicagoans . 2024-05-26 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
12. Web site: Beardsley . Eleanor . August 2, 2015 . Counterfeit Duck Confit: All Of The Flavor, Without The Labor . National Public Radio (NPR).
13. Web site: Druckman . Charlotte . 2018-07-27 . Three ways to pimp a bakery-bought croissant . 2024-05-26 . Good Food . en.
14. Web site: Neese . Joseph . 2020-08-29 . From chartreuse to vermouth: David Lebovitz's cocktails will take you on a sensory journey to France . 2024-05-26 . Salon . en.
15. Web site: Gee . Oliver . March 3, 2017 . The complete A to Z of food in France, according to famed American chef David Lebovitz . May 26, 2024 . The Local France.
16. News: Miglore . Kristen . 2017-01-04 . An Infamously Genius Caramel Almond Tart . 2024-05-26 . Slate . en-US . 1091-2339.
17. News: Kurutz . Steven . 2015-11-03 . A Tour of Pastry Chef David Lebovitz's Home Kitchen in Paris . 2024-05-26 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
18. News: Brehaut . Laura . June 12, 2014 . Modern Parisian recipes from David Lebovitz: Roast lamb with braised vegetables, chickpea puffs . May 26, 2024 . The National Post.
19. News: Krishna . Priya . 2023-09-18 . How TikTok Is Reshaping the American Cookbook . 2024-05-26 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
20. Web site: Nozari . Elaheh . 2017-11-30 . 8 Things David Lebovitz Can't Cook—or Live—Without . 2024-05-26 . Epicurious . en-US.
21. News: Yonan . Joe . 2023-05-17 . Paris with Patricia Wells: Eating up the city with the 'Food Lover's Guide' author . 2024-05-26 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
22. Goldfield . Hannah . 2018-08-09 . Oeuf Mayonnaise, a French Classic Good Enough to Win Over Egg (and Mayo) Skeptics . 2024-05-26 . The New Yorker . en-US . 0028-792X.
23. Web site: Kierzek . Kristine M. . Lebovitz shares challenges of setting up his Paris kitchen . 2024-05-26 . Journal Sentinel . en-US.
24. Web site: David . 2008-12-27 . My Birthday Bouillotte . 2024-05-26 . David Lebovitz . en-US.
25. Web site: Wall . Alix . 2014-04-02 . David Lebovitz: Life in Paris Really Is Sweet . 2024-05-26 . The Forward . en.
26. Web site: Aguirre . Jessica . 2024-04-18 . Chef's journey from the Bay Area to Paris . 2024-05-26 . NBC Bay Area . en-US.
27. News: Chambrot . Krysten . 2021-11-08 . These Thanksgiving Recipes From the Archives Feel Timeless . 2024-05-26 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
28. Web site: Culliford . Alison . 2016-07-15 . David Lebovitz's Paris Kitchen . 2024-05-26 . Paris Life Magazine. Book-a-flat . en-GB.
29. Web site: Ruskin . Philip . 2022-03-25 . Un Café Avec: David Lebovitz Enjoys France, Every Last Bite and Drop . 2024-05-26 . Frenchly . en-US.
30. News: Brennan . Emily . 2013-01-22 . So You Want to Learn to Cook in France? . 2024-05-26 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
31. Web site: O'Keefe . Susan . 2018-12-24 . The best edible French souvenirs, according to American chef David Lebovitz . 2024-05-26 . Travel . en.
32. News: Knight . Christopher . 2015-12-21 . For David Lebovitz, a Mortar and Pestle Trumps Any Gadget . 2024-05-26 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
33. Web site: Neese . Joseph . 2020-08-10 . From café au lait to cocktails, David Lebovitz offers a master class in French drinking culture . 2024-05-26 . Salon . en.
34. Web site: Lebovitz . David . 2008-04-16 . Prune-Armagnac ice cream . 2024-05-26 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
35. News: 2014-09-26 . David Lebovitz: some of Paris's most unusual desserts . 2024-05-26 . Financial Times.
36. News: Denn . Rebekah . November 8, 2017 . 'L'Appart' is a painfully funny story of the joys and pitfalls of making Paris your home . 2024-05-26 . Christian Science Monitor . 0882-7729.
37. Lofgren . Jennifer . 2013-06-24 . Food Blogging and Food-related Media Convergence . M/C Journal . 16 . 3 . 10.5204/mcj.638 . 1441-2616. free .
38. Web site: Eat Your Books . 2024-05-26 . www.eatyourbooks.com.
39. Web site: Hesser . Amanda . November 3, 1999 . ´Room for Dessert´: Simple and Sweet From a Master Baker . 2024-05-26 . archive.nytimes.com.
40. Web site: 2019-08-29 . Meet the Winners of the 2019 SAVEUR Blog Awards . 2024-05-26 . Saveur . en.
41. Web site: 2012-05-03 . 2012 Best Food Blog Awards: The Winners . 2024-05-26 . Saveur . en.
42. Web site: 2011-05-17 . The 2011 SAVEUR Best Food Blog Awards: The Winners . 2024-05-26 . Saveur . en.