Salty, Not Sweet: A Life in the Food World

Florence Fabricant—celebrated New York Times food writer for more than 50 years—recounts a life defined by the insatiable search for new dining experiences, tracing the evolution of food and restaurant culture in the United States and abroad, and her instrumental role in revealing it, along the way.

“This beautifully written and honest assessment of her years with food is fun to read and important to consider.” —Martha Stewart

What is it like to have a front-row seat to the evolution of dining and restaurant culture—in the United States and abroad—for half a century? Few can answer that question, but Florence Fabricant, the beloved and influential food writer for the New York Times, is one who can. And in Salty, Not Sweet, for the first time, she shares her insider's view of the food world and how she came to inhabit it.

From early, palate defining food experiences in New York City, and later in France during a formative year abroad, to the dining rooms, kitchens, markets, and wineries that have redefined what it means to eat today, Fabricant paints a vivid picture of a life in the food world. Her earliest experiences, of pickle barrels in the Bronx and pre-theater dinners with her parents, laid the foundation for a life and unexpected career that would span the globe while always finding a home and heartbeat within the dining scene of New York. Beginning at the East Hampton Star before landing at the Times, Fabricant established herself as an endlessly curious diner and reporter, one whose keen sense led her to early coverage of food world titans like Thomas Keller, Martha Stewart, Eric Ripert, Alain Ducasse, Tom Colicchio, and many, many more.

Her characteristic prose and sharp wit, familiar to readers of the New York Times for decades, shine through in this exploration of the rise of farm to table cooking, the cult of celebrity chefs, the growth of restaurant groups, the role of the critic, and the evolving way we cook and eat. Throughout, Fabricant gives readers a peek behind the curtain of her own singular tastes and preferences, as well as her wide-ranging travels, experiences with some of the food world’s brightest stars and bold-faced names, the ever-evolving landscape of food in New York, and her own extraordinary life and partnership with her husband of more than 60 years, Richard Fabricant. An accomplished cook, she punctuates each chapter with a relevant recipe.

This recounting of a singular life and career will speak to readers in love with food, New York, and the alchemy of a truly great dining experience, beautifully recounted by someone with a palate developed over decades of precise and enthusiastic eating and reportage.

“Salty, Not Sweet is elegant, deeply personal, and profoundly moving.” —Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin

“Her remarkable recall, curiosity, and generosity of spirit make this book feel like an intimate conversation with one of our most trusted guides and rigorous journalists.” —David Rockwell, architect and founder of the Rockwell Group