Food Writer

The Philadelphia Inquirer is a public benefit corporation owned by the nonprofit Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Together, we’re at the center of a critical mission to create a lasting future for ambitious, engaging, and useful local journalism. We’re doing this, in part, by deepening our connection with the communities we serve. Our integrated digital and print platforms are the Philadelphia region’s largest media network. We’re passionate about building a sustainable model for indispensable local journalism, and we take pride in finding diverse, dynamic, and talented individuals to help push our team forward.

Food Writer 

A reporter-writer with a love for food and restaurants, clear-eyed perspective, critical sensibilities, and social media savvy. Will join an existing team of food writing professionals and make a name for themselves covering the scene-y side of the restaurant landscape while offering views on food in all the ways that people actually experience it, from takeout to fast food to ballpark snacks to Instagram. 

What You’ll Do

• Report on the latest and most interesting developments, people, and trends in the food scene of Philadelphia and the surrounding region. 

• File multiple times a week with news, critical takes, trend coverage, profiles, etc. We want to deepen coverage of what our audience already craves from the Inquirer while evolving the ways that we tell stories and the platforms that we tell them on. 

• Regularly conceive and contribute to restaurant guides that cover the entire region, including our annual collection of the area’s most important restaurants

• Work with existing food staff on expansive collaborative projects that help define what matters in the Philly food scene

• Work with social and video teams to package content for social media, including camera-facing work allowing them to grow into a food personality who represents the Inquirer. 

Who We’re Looking For

• 3 years writing experience or equivalent

• Experience with or interest in food criticism

• Social media savvy (especially Instagram and / or TikTok)

• A keen sense of what’s new and next in food and restaurants, both IRL and online

• Willingness to be a public-facing persona, with regular appearances on camera

• Reporting and research skills necessary to become a subject matter expert and cut through empty hype

• Strong writing skills, including use of alternative story forms and conversational voice

• Skills in brainstorming, planning, and coordinating multimedia storytelling

• Audience awareness: come in with ideas about the service you are providing that no one else is doing in this space, and then be prepared to evaluate the success of those ideas and pivot based on analytics and feedback

Please include a cover letter explaining how you want to cover food in Philadelphia