Morgan Murphy (food critic) explained
Morgan Murphy is an American author, Captain in the United States Navy Reserve, former national security advisor to Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville,[1] and former press secretary to the U.S. Secretary of Defense.[2]
Journalism career
Murphy began his career after Rupert Murdoch took note of the student newspaper Murphy edited while at Birmingham–Southern College. The resulting internship at The New York Post led to his first major byline in 1994. In 1996, Murphy joined Vanity Fair after meeting Graydon Carter in an elevator at Condé Nast.[3] From 1998 to 2000, Murphy worked as a reporter for Forbes under Jim Michaels, and regularly covered small business, entertainment, and the automotive sectors.[4] In 2000, he joined Southern Living and served as the magazine's food critic, executive editor, and national spokesman.[5] The magazine’s parent company, Time Inc., would later publish four of Murphy's five books.
He has appeared on the Travel Channel's American Grilled,[6] The Today Show,[7] Fox & Friends, Fox News,[8] CNN, Sirius XM, Food Talk, Car Talk,[9] NPR,[10] the Speed Channel,[11] and QVC.[12]
Books published as author
- Murphy's first book, I Love You – Now Hush, co-authored with author Melinda Rainey Thompson and released in 2010,[13] was named the gold humor book of the year by the American Library Association.[14]
- Murphy's cookbook Off the Eaten Path: Favorite Southern Dives and 150 Recipes that Made Them Famous[15] is a collection of his favorite restaurants[16] and their most famous recipes[17] from the American South.[18]
- A sequel Off the Eaten Path: Second Helpings: Tasty eats and delicious stories from the South's less-traveled trails followed in 2013,[19]
- In 2014 he published Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South's Favorite Food Groups, featuring recipes using bourbon, bacon, or a combination of the two.[20] The book includes a history of bourbon and tasting notes for 75 of his favorite whiskies.[21]
- In 2015, he published Off the Eaten Path: On the Road Again: More Unforgettable Foods and Characters from the South's Back Roads and Byways, a third entry in his "Off the Eaten Path" series.[12]
Military career
Murphy joined the United States Naval Reserve in 1999, and has since served on five continents.[22] In 2010, Murphy was called to Afghanistan, where he served in Operation Enduring Freedom as the Director of Media Outreach for the International Security Assistance Force[23] and briefed General David R. Petraeus,[24] 40 general officers, and two ambassadors on a daily basis. In November 2012, he was assigned to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[25] In March 2020, Murphy was recalled to Washington to work for Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, serving as his traveling press secretary, moderating town halls with Esper and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and helping the department respond to COVID-19, the BLM riots, and election security. Murphy was promoted to captain by the Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite on October 13, 2020. After President Trump fired Mark Esper on November 9, Murphy continued as press secretary to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller until January 20, 2021.
Military awards and decorations
Classic cars
Murphy is a classic car enthusiast with a special focus on vintage Packards and Cadillacs. In 2005, Murphy discovered "The Duchess" – a 1941 Cadillac limousine created for the abdicated king Edward VIII and his consort Wallis Simpson – in a barn in Fort Worth, Texas.[22] [26] The car was a one-of-a-kind creation by General Motors' chief designer Harley Earl, under the direction of the company's chairman and chief executive officer, Alfred P. Sloan. When Murphy purchased the car, it was in disrepair and its provenance was unproven.[27] Murphy conducted a three-year restoration effort,[28] and in November 2013, he offered the car for sale through an RM Auctions and Sotheby's "Art of the Automobile" sale.[29] [30] [31] The auction houses called it "one of the most famous and iconic cars of both American and English society", and suggested the car should sell for between $500,000 and $800,000.[29] [30] [31]
In 2007, Murphy founded Motorpool.com, which was claimed to be the world's first social network for classic car enthusiasts.[22] [32] The launch was backed by more than $1 million in venture capital.[33] In late 2010, Murphy had recently toured the country in a vintage Cadillac to promote the site's launch (and had nine Cadillacs in his possession).[22]
Personal life and education
Murphy was born in Mountain Brook, Alabama (a suburb of Birmingham) and grew up in Birmingham.[22]
He received a Bachelor's degree in 1994 from Birmingham-Southern College (which honored him with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013).[22] [34] He received an MBA from the University of Oxford,[35] where he was a member of Exeter College[22] and was elected by the university as its "MBA of the Year".[36] He received his Joint Professional Military Education degree in 2017 from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Morgan Murphy was the national security adviser to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). He presented Tuberville with the highly controversial strategy of stalling scores of senior military nominations in an attempt to stop a new Defense Department policy that helps to ensure access to abortions for service members.[37]
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: 2021-10-19 . What is Tommy Tuberville doing here? . 2024-03-03 . Washington Post . en.
- Web site: Acting Defense Secretary Visits JIATF South .
- Book: Young, Toby . 2001 . How to Lose Friends and Alienate People . Cambridge, MA . Da Capo Press . 129 . 0-306-81188-X . registration .
- Web site: Forbes Search . .
- News: 'Off the Eaten Path' author and 'Southern Living' food critic reveals life on the culinary road . Manchester Times . 25 June 2013.
- News: Chef and New Orleans native David Guas returns home Thursday to record new Travel Channel show, 'American Grilled' . New Orleans Times Picayune . 16 April 2014.
- News: Cooking with Morgan Murphy . NBC Today Show . 20 May 2011.
- News: LCDR Morgan Murphy Returns from Afghanistan . Fox News . 18 May 2011 . 11 January 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110524231204/http://ktmcfarland.com/2011/05/18/where-are-we-likely-to-be-a-year-from-now/ . 24 May 2011 . dead .
- News: Car Talk Goes Off the Eaten Path . National Public Radio . July 2011.
- News: Food News with Morgan Murphy . National Public Radio . 13 June 2011 .
- News: Test Drive the Acura TL with Morgan Murphy . Speed Channel . Sep 2010.
- Web site: Off the Eaten Path: On the Road Again, by Southern Living . QVC.com. 15 April 2015.
- News: I Love You Now Hush . Alabama Public Radio . 26 April 2010.
- http://www.bookoftheyearawards.com/winners/2010/category/humor/ "Book of the Year Awards 2010"
- News: Southern food critic goes 'Off the Eaten Path . The Atlanta Journal Constitution . 23 May 2011.
- News: South a road-tripper's feast . The Chicago Tribune . 10 January 2012.
- News: Off the Trail with Morgan Murphy . ABC36 Lexington, KY . 17 September 2012.
- Web site: Southern living off the eaten path . January 11, 2012 . February 16, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120216051723/http://www.oxmoorhouse.com/storefront/brands/southern-living/southern-living-off-the-eaten-path/prod0848734459.html . dead .
- News: 10 Great Places to Eat Like a Local . USA Today . 4 August 2011.
- News: Pig and swig: "Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South's Favorite Food Groups" . Knoxville News Sentinel . 2 September 2014.
- News: A Writer Walks into a Bar . Roanoke Times . 3 September 2014.
- News: Larger than Life . B Metro Magazine . 21 December 2010.
- News: Memorial Day Message from Morgan Murphy: Savoring the Ordinary for all Who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice . Fox News . 28 May 2012.
- News: Lt. Cmdr. Morgan Murphy: The Frontline Foodie . Fox News . 17 May 2011.
- News: Veteran's Day Interview on DEFCON 3 with KT McFarland . Fox News . November 2012.
- News: Duke and Duchess of Windsor's Cadillac heads to NYC auction; Ala. collector found it in Texas . https://archive.today/20131105141624/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/duke-and-duchess-of-windsors-cadillac-heads-to-nyc-auction-ala-collector-found-it-in-texas/2013/10/24/56bce9a6-3c95-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html . dead . 5 November 2013 . The Washington Post . 24 October 2013.
- News: Duke of Windsor's 1941 Cadillac limousine to be sold at auction . Reuters . 24 October 2013.
- News: Duchess 1941 Cadillac restored by Morgan Murphy, food critic . Old Cars Weekly . 4 November 2013.
- News: Duke of Windsor's 1941 Cadillac limousine to be auctioned in New York City . Robb Report . 25 October 2013.
- News: Will the Duke of Windsor's Cadillac Start a Bidding War? . The Wall Street Journal . 25 October 2013.
- "1941 Cadillac Custom Limousine 'The Duchess' by General Motors", RM Auctions website, accessed 24 March 2015.
- News: Entrepreneur profile: Morgan Murphy of Motorpool LLC . The Birmingham News . 24 September 2010.
- News: Facebook for Cars? Birmingham Entrepreneur Starts Website . The Birmingham Business Journal . 23 March 2009.
- http://www.alumni.bsc.edu/s/1388/index.aspx?sid=1388&gid=1&pgid=320 Distinguished Alumni Recipients 2013
- http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/community/people/morgan-murphy Morgan Murphy: Food critic and best-selling food writer
- News: Interview with Morgan Murphy of Motorpool . The University of Oxford . May 2008 .
- News: Wagner . John . 2023-06-01 . Tuberville adviser resigns after report on role in stalling military promotions . 2024-03-03 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
