John F. Mariani Explained

John Francis Mariani is a food & wine journalist, restaurant critic and author.

Early life and education

Mariani is a third-generation Italian-American.[1] He attended Iona College[2] and received his PhD in English from Columbia University.[3]

Career

As a food critic, Mariani has written about food and wine[4] for numerous publications including Wine Spectator, GQ, Bloomberg,[5] [6] Forbes[7] [8] and Esquire Magazine.[9] During his time as Esquire Magazine's food & travel correspondent,[10] [11] he published an annual list of the nation's “20 Best New Restaurants”[12] [13] [14] until 2014.[15]

Since 1996 he has published the on-line weekly Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet Newsletter[16] [17] and is host of the weekly radio interview show “Almost Golden” on WVOX 1460AM.[18]

He is the author of multiple food-based books. His first book, The Dictionary of American Food & Drink, was called "groundbreaking"[19] as it was the "first book to chronicle [American] cuisine". The food writer Nika Hazelton compared it to France's La Gastromique[20] . It was re-published in 2013 as The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink[21]

He went on to write more books including Eating Out: Fearless Dining in Ethnic Restaurants[22] , America Eats Out[23] which examined America's eateries such as Pizzerias and the advent of the Submarine Sandwich, and Mariani's Coast-to-Coast Dining Guide in which he "conscripted regional food critics to write chapters relative to their part of the country"[24] . Kirkus Reviews suggested it should become "a part of every businessman's or vacationer's travel pack".[25]

He co-authored annual editions of Passport to New York Restaurants and was editor of Italian Cuisine: Basic Cooking Techniques. How Italian Food Conquered the World was published in 2011.[26] [27] [28]

He also co-wrote The Italian American Cookbook with his wife Galina[29]

Awards

Over his career, Mariani has been nominated for and received journalism, food and cultural awards including the James Beard Journalism Award (nominated in 1985, 1998 and 1999).[30] He was named as Cook's Magazine and Restaurant Business Magazine Who's Who of the Year in 1985.[31] In 2003, he was awarded the Philadelphia Toque Award “for exceptional achievements in culinary writing and accomplishments”.[32]

His books have been recognised with awards including the Gourmand World Cookbooks Award for the USA 2011[33] and the Italian Cuisine Worldwide Award 2012 for How Italian Food Conquered the World[34]

In 2011, Mariani received the GEI (Gruppo Esponenti Italiani) Friendship Award.[35] The following year, the ASME award was awarded to Saveur Magazine for its “Italian-American” issue  for which Mariani wrote the lead article[36] [37]

In 2016, The Italian Food & Wine Institute recognised Mariani for his contribution to Italian wines throughout the world[38] and the American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit awarded him with the Grand Award of Merit "in recognition of his great accomplishments, exceptional leadership and pursuit of Italian excellence" in 2017[39]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Almost Golden. 2021-09-13. www.goodreads.com.
  2. Web site: e-yearbook.com (tm). Iona College - ICANN Yearbook (New Rochelle, NY), Class of 1964, Page 238 of 248 E-Yearbook.com has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. Search and browse yearbooks online!. 2021-09-13. e-yearbook.com. en-US.
  3. Web site: Venni, vidi, ora mangiate!. 2021-09-13. Columbia Magazine. en.
  4. News: Dupleix. Jill. Gazpacho with prawns. . en. 2021-09-13. 0140-0460.
  5. Web site: 2016-11-21. Top chefs review America's toughest food critics. 2021-09-13. The Daily Meal. en-US.
  6. Web site: John F Mariani - Bloomberg. 2021-09-13. Bloomberg.com. en.
  7. Web site: 2021-03-26. John Mariani on the DOCG. 2021-09-13. Good Food Revolution. en-CA.
  8. Web site: John Mariani. 2021-09-13. Forbes. en.
  9. News: Volk. Steve. 30 August 2007. High Steaks: Table Scraps. Philadelphia.
  10. Web site: May 6, 2002. MEDIA RESTAURANTS: Media Roundup - Restaurants vie for the toptable in an overfed media. 2021-09-13. www.prweek.com. en.
  11. Web site: Esquire Editor Defends John Mariani. 2021-09-13. Grub Street. en-us.
  12. Web site: 2005-11-02. The real cost of a free meal. 2021-09-13. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
  13. Web site: Catalan among top 20 new U.S. restaurants. 2021-09-13. PressReader.
  14. Web site: Taylor. Tracey. 2010-10-11. Gather chef Sean Baker named best of the year. 2021-09-13. Berkeleyside. en-US.
  15. Web site: Republic. Food. 2014-10-14. Josh Ozersky Is The New Restaurant Editor At Esquire. Script, Flipped.. 2021-09-13. Food Republic. en-US.
  16. Web site: Potter. Everett. Five myths about hotel room service. 2021-09-13. USA Today. en-US.
  17. Web site: Kludt. Amanda. 2008-10-21. Mariani Unleashed. 2021-09-13. Eater NY. en.
  18. Web site: Almost Golden. 2021-09-13. WVOX 1460AM. en-US.
  19. News: Dwan. Lois. 1983. Cookbook breaks new ground. LA Times.
  20. Hazelton. Nika. 10 February 1984. "Good Old- and -New American Cooking". National Review.
  21. Web site: Devra. First. December 21, 2013. 'The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink' by John Mariani . 2021-09-13. The Boston Globe. en-US.
  22. Web site: Petersen. Clarence. Apparently they are still pouting in Kentucky.... 2021-09-13. Chicago Tribune. en-US.
  23. Book: AMERICA EATS OUT Kirkus Reviews. en.
  24. 15 June 1986. A dependable coast-to-coast dining guide. The Houston Post.
  25. Web site: Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction. 2021-09-13. Kirkus Reviews. en.
  26. Web site: BOOK REVIEW: 'How Italian Food Conquered the World'. 2021-09-13. The Washington Times. en-US.
  27. News: Yardley. Jonathan. 2011-03-19. John F. Mariani's "How Italian Food Conquered the World". en-US. Washington Post. 2021-09-13. 0190-8286.
  28. News: 2011-03-27. Harlan Coben, Ben Dolnick, and John Mariani: Reviews. en. The Daily Beast. 2021-09-13.
  29. Web site: 2013-03-01. A Culinary Life. 2021-09-13. VIE Magazine. en-US.
  30. Web site: Awards Search James Beard Foundation. 2021-09-13. www.jamesbeard.org. en.
  31. News: Engel. Margaret. 27 October 1985. Cook's Magazine Makes Annual Awards. Washington Post.
  32. Web site: PMI membership contest offers trip to Paris -- not!. 2021-09-13. Business Journal.
  33. Web site: COOKBOOKS. 2021-09-13. www.cookbookfair.com.
  34. Web site: Grana Padano Italian Cuisine Worldwide Awards 2012 Ceremony. 2021-09-13. www.itchefs-gvci.com.
  35. Web site: 2014-05-13. Mr. John Mariani. 2021-09-13. GEI. en.
  36. Web site: Saveur Wins National Magazine Award Bonnier Corporation. 2021-09-13. en-US.
  37. Web site: 2011-11-11. Italian America. 2021-09-13. Saveur. en-US.
  38. Web site: 2016-01-22. Press Releases 2016. 2021-09-13. Italian Wine & Food Institute. en.
  39. Web site: ASILM Celebrates 51 Years. 2021-09-13. iItaly.org. en.