Author Ruth Reichl Joins Random House as Editor-at-Large

NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/9/30/2010--Ruth Reichl, James Beard Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author, and former Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet magazine, is joining the Random House imprint of the Random House Publishing Group as both author and in the newly created position of Editor-at- Large, it was announced today by Random House Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Susan Kamil.

The books she will author, which will be edited by Ms. Kamil, are two new works of nonfiction: a cookbook whose title, The Tao of Ruth, was inspired by Anthony Bourdain, and a memoir of her years at Condé Nast, the publisher of Gourmet, as well as her debut novel, DELICIOUS!

In her ten years at Gourmet, Reichl published a wide variety of writers who explored every aspect of food, from recipes to politics to culture. In her Random House capacity as Editor-at-Large, Reichl will continue to work with established and debuting authors who are expanding our food horizons. She will acquire, edit, and advise on the marketing of her list of books, with broad potential in a variety of print and digital-publishing formats. As Editor-at-Large, she reports to Susan Kamil.

Ruth Reichl began her career as the restaurant critic and food editor of San Francisco’s New West magazine. She went on to be the restaurant critic and food editor of the Los Angeles Times, and restaurant critic for The New York Times. She is the recipient of six James Beard awards. Reichl’s previous books include: Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, Garlic and Sapphires, For You Mom, Finally, all New York Times bestsellers.

Ms. Kamil said, “I’m ecstatic to have Ruth as an author and a publishing colleague. In this one person there is a remarkable convergence of talent: Ruth is a brilliant storyteller and narrative writer, as well as an editor with the passion, knowledge, and intuitive understanding of what food lovers want to know. She will be an outstanding addition to Random House's publishing program.”

Commenting on her new position and her return to Random House, where her first books were published, Ms Reichl stated, “I’m especially excited to have the opportunity to participate in the future of food writing as both an author and a book editor. At Random House I'll have the opportunity to connect to food-lovers in print, and to participate in the ever-expanding digital world.”

Random House Publishing Group President and Publisher Gina Centrello said, “Ruth Reichl is one of today’s most beloved culinary writers. She has a sharp editorial eye for identifying talent and anticipating what is coming next. We are also very excited by the prospect of developing together book projects with digital components. I am thrilled to have her with us.”

The Random House Publishing Group is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG.