Laurie Ochoa is general manager of Food at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was a deputy editor in Entertainment and Arts.
Ochoa’s history with The Times goes back to 1988 and, notably, from 1993-99 she was Food editor. She then moved to New York to become executive editor of Gourmet magazine. She has won two James Beard Awards for her food writing, and the cookbook she co-wrote, “Nancy Silverton’s Breads From the La Brea Bakery,” was nominated for an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award and a James Beard Cookbook Award. She returned to Southern California as editor in chief of the L.A. Weekly, which won more national journalism awards during her stewardship than any other alternative newsweekly – including the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Ochoa then co-founded and edited Slake: Los Angeles, a journal of narrative reporting, essays, fiction, art and poetry. Before returning to The Times in 2012, she also served as an interim editor of the Hollywood Reporter.
L.A. Times Food includes ongoing coverage at latimes.com/food and in the L.A. Times app; regular reporting in the paper’s Weekend section; the Cooking and Tasting Notes newsletters; video series such as “What We’re Into,” “Off Menu With Lucas Peterson” and “The Bucket List With Jenn Harris”; and the annual 101 Best Restaurants guide. In addition, Times food coverage extends to its signature food festivals, including Food Bowl and the 101 Best Restaurants launch party, as well as other live events, video projects and radio appearances throughout the year. The Times recently completed construction on a state-of-the-art test kitchen and studio, “The Kitchen at the Los Angeles Times,” which will serve as a hub for recipe development and video production.
Latest From This Author
The disruptive forces of critic turned chef Bruno Verjus. Plus, L.A. Taco’s Taco Madness, a Juneteenth bake sale, yakitori in Vegas, ube everywhere and Steph Curry’s favorite popcorn in Tasting Notes.
June 15, 2024
How chefs adapt, the best eating in Las Vegas, a Cake Boss dessert crawl, Beyond Meat struggles, plus, why Gordon Ramsay is jealous of “The Bear’s” Carmy. And is it OK to pick fruit from someone else’s tree? All in this week’s Tasting Notes.
June 1, 2024
Many of Ruth Reichl’s decadent eating scenes in ‘The Paris Novel’ were based on real meals she reported on for the L.A. Times. Plus, L.A.’s best cookies, Red Lobster gluttony, a $400 pineapple and California’s cannabis cafe bill in Tasting Notes.
May 25, 2024
For Mother’s Day, proof that Mom often does know best when it comes to chilaquiles. Plus California’s disappearing asparagus and more.
May 11, 2024
Still cookbook crazy in a digital world, plus the Koreatown bakery where fans wait up to two hours for cake, a new croissant contender, and why a vegan restaurant will start serving meat in this week’s Tasting Notes.
April 27, 2024
Award-winning Australian chefs Josh Niland and Jo Barrett come from Australia to collaborate on a dinner for 300 on the Malibu Pier.
April 13, 2024
There’s a certain reverse snobbery that some travelers may feel when they first arrive in Nice.
April 12, 2024
Her stories and recipes from the Jewish diaspora set the template for other food writers seeking their own identity.
April 10, 2024
This month’s must-visit spots include a new taco stand from chef Roy Choi, a revived farmers market in Topanga Canyon, several L.A. additions to the forthcoming 2024 Michelin California Guide and more.
April 1, 2024
Plus, Roy Choi’s new primal tacos, Cambodian beef jerky, Joe Jost’s pickled eggs and the man who ate everything at the Cheesecake Factory in this week’s Tasting Notes.
March 23, 2024