Frank Bruni

Former New York Times restaurant critic and bestselling author of Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater

Photo of Frank Bruni

Biography

Frank Bruni was named restaurant critic for the New York Times in April 2004. Before that, he was the newspaper’s Rome bureau chief, a White House reporter, the lead correspondent covering George W. Bush’s 2000 Presidential Campaign, and a frequent contributor to the Sunday Times magazine. He is the …

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Frank Bruni was named restaurant critic for the New York Times in April 2004. Before that, he was the newspaper’s Rome bureau chief, a White House reporter, the lead correspondent covering George W. Bush’s 2000 Presidential Campaign, and a frequent contributor to the Sunday Times magazine. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Ambling into History, about George W. Bush, and his restaurant-related articles for the Times have appeared in each of the last four editions of “Best Food Writing” in America. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing for his work before the Times at the Detroit Free Press. He lives in New York City.

Check out Frank’s website here.

Photo by Soo-Jeong Kang
 
Speaking Topics
  • Born Round
    Frank discusses some of the themes explored in his New York Times bestselling book Born Round: childhood obesity; diet and fitness; the restaurant industry; the restaurant scene, and being the New York Times restaurant critic.
  • Life as the New York Times Restaurant Critic
    The life of, and behind the scenes with, the person who held the most influential restaurant critic post in the land for five and a half years.
  • Politics
    Prior to serving as restaurant critic, Frank covered George W. Bush’s first presidential campaign, and penned the New York Times bestselling Ambling into History: the Unlikely Odyssey of George W. Bush.
  • The Experiences of an Openly Gay Man on the Front Lines of Journalism
    Frank speaks candidly about everything from dealing with a presidential candidate who knew he was openly gay to the way his reviews were sometimes analyzed through the prism of his sexual orientation. He also discusses the degree to which he thinks many a workplace, as exemplified by the New York Times, welcomes its openly gay employees these days.
  • An Extraordinary Journalistic Adventure
    Frank takes the audience on a lively journey through his varied, versatile career that has spanned movie coverage, Vatican reporting, the presidential campaign trail, and restaurant criticism. From flying on the Pope’s plane, to sitting on the back porch in Kennebunkport with George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, to dining with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, to riding in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle across Saddam Hussein’s Iraq for several days, Frank’s career has run a fascinating gamut.