Ruth Reichl joined Gourmet as editor in chief in April 1999. Ms. Reichl came to the magazine from The New York Times, where she had been the restaurant critic since 1993.

As the chef and co-owner of The Swallow Restaurant from 1974 to 1977, she played a part in the culinary revolution that took place in Berkeley, California. In the years that followed, she served as restaurant critic for New West and California magazines (1977-1993) and the Los Angeles Times (1984-1993), where she was also named food editor.

Ms. Reichl began writing about food in 1972, when she published a book called Mmmmm: A Feastiary. Since then, she has authored the critically acclaimed, best-selling memoir, Tender at the Bone. Ms. Reichl's latest best-selling memoir, Comfort Me with Apples, was released by Random House in April 2001. She is the editor of The Modern Library Cooking Series, released in March 2001. She has also written the introductions for Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur (1996) and Measure of Her Powers: An M.F.K. Fisher Reader (2000).

Ms. Reichl has been honored with three James Beard Awards (two for restaurant criticism, in 1996 and 1998, and one for journalism, in 1994) and with numerous awards from the Association of American Food Journalists. She is featured on the cover of Dining Out: Secrets from America's Leading Critics, Chefs and Restaurants, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (1998).

Ms. Reichl holds a B.A. and an M.A. in the History of Art from the University of Michigan, and lives in New York City with her husband, Michael Singer, a television news producer, and their son.

NOTE: Bio is as it appeared in the Forum program from May 1, 2003.