David Lebovitz

Author From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Lebovitz (born 1958) is an American author primarily known for writing about food.[1][2] He worked as a dessert and pastry chef before starting to write cookbooks.[3][4][5][6] He also wrote a memoir about his experiences buying and renovating an apartment in Paris.[2]

In 1999, two years after Jim Leff and Bob Okumura founded Chowhound, the online discussion forum in 1997, Lebovitz launched his eponymous baking and desserts website.[7] Thus, he is considered one of the earliest, if not, the original "food blogger".[2][8][9] Lesley Chesterman wrote in NUVO in 2022: "Having launched his website in 1999, before food blogs really even existed, you could argue that Lebovitz all but created the genre."[2]

In addition to his food blog,[10] Lebovitz also publishes an online newsletter.[11] The recipes in his books and on his blog are often reprinted (with permission) or adapted in food columns,[12][13][14][15][16] and he has been interviewed for articles in mainstream digital[12][13][17] and legacy media.[18][14][15][16][19][20][21][22][23]

Pre-Paris culinary career

Lebovitz, who was born in 1958[24] and grew up in Connecticut, started working in restaurant kitchens while a teenager, including in upstate New York, USA.[8][25] In the early 1980s, Lebovitz moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked as a line-cook, and then a pastry chef at the Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, known for being an early advocate of farm-to-table cuisine.[8][26] Lebovitz worked at Chez Panisse for thirteen years before launching his website and writing his first cook book.[27][28] He moved to Paris, France in 2004.[8][28][29]

Food blogging in Paris

image of chocolate chip cookies from a David Lebovitz recipe
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Great Book of Chocolate

Since relocating to Paris, Lebovitz' has continued to blog about food.[30][23][31][32] He has published eight cookbooks,[32][33] and written guest columns for the Los Angeles Times and the Financial Times.[34][35] In 2017, Lebovitz published a memoir recounting his experiences with the Parisian real estate market.[36]

Lebovitz' impact and influence on food blogs and blogging was discussed by Jennifer Lofgren in a 2013 journal article about how food blogs had evolved over the preceding twenty-five years.[37]

Books

  • Lebovitz, D. (2020). Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 978-1-60774-929-5[29][33]
  • Lebovitz, D. (2018). The Perfect Scoop, Revised and Updated: 200 Recipes for Ice Creams, Sorbets, Gelatos, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 978-0-399-58031-4
  • Lebovitz, D. (2017). L'appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home. United States: Crown. ISBN 978-0-8041-8838-8[36]
  • Lebovitz, D. (2014). My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 978-1-60774-267-8[38]
  • Lebovitz, D. (2010). Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes. United States: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-58008-138-2
  • Lebovitz, D. (2009). The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City. United States: Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-7679-2888-5
  • Lebovitz, D. (2007). The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments. United States: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-58008-219-8
  • Lebovitz, D. (2004). The Great Book of Chocolate: The Chocolate Lover's Guide with Recipes. United States: Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 978-1-58008-495-6
  • Lebovitz, D. (2003). Ripe for Dessert: 100 Outstanding Desserts with Fruit--Inside, Outside, Alongside. United States: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-621246-3
  • Lebovitz, D. (1999). Room For Dessert: 110 Recipes for Cakes, Custards, Souffles, Tarts, Pies, Cobblers, Sorbets, Sherbets, Ice Creams, Cookies, Candies, and Cordials. United Kingdom: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-019185-6[39]

Selected awards

  • Blog of the Decade. Saveur Blog Awards 2019[40]
  • Best Celebrity Food Blog. Saveur Best Food Blog Awards 2012[41]
  • Best Culinary Travel Blog. Saveur Best Food Blog Awards 2011[42]

References

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