Ruth Reichl is an American chef and food writer.  In addition to two decades as a food critic, mainly spent at the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, Reichl has also written cookbooks, memoirs and a novel, and been co-producer of PBS’s Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie, culinary editor for the Modern Library and editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. She has also won six James Beard Foundation Awards.  Most recently she has focused on issues related to food security.