Laurie Ochoa is general manager of Food at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was a deputy editor in Entertainment and Arts.
Ochoa’s history with The Times goes back to 1988 and, notably, from 1993-99 she was Food editor. She then moved to New York to become executive editor of Gourmet magazine. She has won two James Beard Awards for her food writing, and the cookbook she co-wrote, “Nancy Silverton’s Breads From the La Brea Bakery,” was nominated for an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award and a James Beard Cookbook Award. She returned to Southern California as editor in chief of the L.A. Weekly, which won more national journalism awards during her stewardship than any other alternative newsweekly – including the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Ochoa then co-founded and edited Slake: Los Angeles, a journal of narrative reporting, essays, fiction, art and poetry. Before returning to The Times in 2012, she also served as an interim editor of the Hollywood Reporter.
L.A. Times Food includes ongoing coverage at latimes.com/food and in the L.A. Times app; regular reporting in the paper’s Weekend section; the Cooking and Tasting Notes newsletters; video series such as “What We’re Into,” “Off Menu With Lucas Peterson” and “The Bucket List With Jenn Harris”; and the annual 101 Best Restaurants guide. In addition, Times food coverage extends to its signature food festivals, including Food Bowl and the 101 Best Restaurants launch party, as well as other live events, video projects and radio appearances throughout the year. The Times recently completed construction on a state-of-the-art test kitchen and studio, “The Kitchen at the Los Angeles Times,” which will serve as a hub for recipe development and video production.
Latest From This Author
Award-winning Australian chefs Josh Niland and Jo Barrett come from Australia to collaborate on a dinner for 300 on the Malibu Pier.
April 13, 2024
There’s a certain reverse snobbery that some travelers may feel when they first arrive in Nice.
April 12, 2024
Her stories and recipes from the Jewish diaspora set the template for other food writers seeking their own identity.
April 10, 2024
This month’s must-visit spots include a new taco stand from chef Roy Choi, a revived farmers market in Topanga Canyon, several L.A. additions to the forthcoming 2024 Michelin California Guide and more.
April 1, 2024
Plus, Roy Choi’s new primal tacos, Cambodian beef jerky, Joe Jost’s pickled eggs and the man who ate everything at the Cheesecake Factory in this week’s Tasting Notes.
March 23, 2024
Plus more Oscar movie food bites -- the bliss of first bites, illicit cherries jubilee, Miyazaki’s gluttons ... and the crookie? Oh, what hath the Cronut wrought? All in Tasting Notes.
March 9, 2024
Michelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho brings her “pinpoint” Spanish cooking from London to Los Angeles. Plus, Orange County’s buzzy new mercado, “Foxy” coffee and the scent of a vegetarian in this week’s Tasting Notes.
March 2, 2024
The best places to eat in Los Angeles this March include a ramen den in Culver City, a Southern seafood spot downtown, a Koreatown wine bar and a vegan deli in Santa Monica.
March 1, 2024
Garlic and nostalgia at El Colmao, the Cuban restaurant impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas loves
Feb. 17, 2024
Experts may say sauerkraut has more pleasure-boosting chemicals than chocolate. But for Valentine’s Day we’re sticking with these easy chocolate recipes to set the mood for love. Plus a recipe from L.A. chef Jonathan Whitener, who died this week at 36.
Feb. 11, 2024