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Alison Roman

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Alison Roman
Born (1985-09-01) September 1, 1985 (age 39)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz (dropped out)
Years active2011 – Present
Websitewww.alisoneroman.com

Alison E. Roman (born September 1, 1985) is an American food writer, chef and internet personality. She is best known for her viral recipes, such as #TheStew and #TheCookies, which were widely shared on social media platforms.[1][2][3] Roman has held senior positions at Bon Appétit and Buzzfeed Food, and served as a columnist for New York Times Cooking.[4][5] She was set to produce a new cooking program for CNN+ in 2022.[6] After shutdown of CNN+, the show was moved to CNN as (More Than) A Cooking Show.[7] Roman is the author of several cookbooks, including the New York Times Bestseller Nothing Fancy (2019).[8]

Early life and education

Roman was born September 1, 1985 to parents in their 30s[9] and raised in Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley area.[10][11]

She withdrew from the University of California, Santa Cruz at the age of 19, where she was studying creative writing, to pursue a career in the food industry,[1][10][12] eventually working as a chef at Sona in Los Angeles, Quince in San Francisco, Milk Bar in New York City and Pies ‘n’ Thighs in Brooklyn.[1][11][12][13]

Career

Bon Appétit and early career (2011–2018)

Roman began as a freelance recipe-tester at Bon Appétit in 2011 soon after the magazine had come under the leadership of editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport.[10][12][14][15] She quickly gained a full-time position at the magazine and eventually became a senior food editor.[4][12][14] Roman appeared prominently in the magazine's videos, articles and social media content.[4][14]

Roman left Bon Appétit in 2015 for a senior role at Buzzfeed Food.[4] Her first cookbook, Dining In, was published by Penguin Random House in 2017.[11]

The New York Times, viral recipes and controversy (2018–2020)

In early 2018, a cookie recipe Roman developed for Dining In (2017) went viral on Instagram, and became so well-known on the mobile app as to be known simply as #TheCookies.[16] Months later she joined New York Times Cooking as a regular columnist.[5]

Her second cookbook, Nothing Fancy (2019), enjoyed commercial and critical success when it was published the following year.[8][17][18] The cookbook stresses the value of "unfussy" ingredients and the importance of authenticity when hosting friends and guests.[19][20] Several of the recipes she developed for the book and The New York Times went viral, including the #TheStew.[1][2][3][21]

Her recipes and online presence gained significant attention during the COVID-19 pandemic when home cooking increased.[22][23][24] Her shallot pasta recipe (commonly known as #ThePasta), was particularly popular amidst the food shortages and constraints of the pandemic due to its use of everyday, pantry ingredients.[21] New York Times Cooking later deemed it the most popular recipe of 2020.[25]

In May 2020, Roman was criticized on social media for an interview in which she made critical remarks about the product lines of Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo, both of whom are of Asian descent, while promoting her own product line: Critics claimed these remarks had racial undertones[26] and pointed to her past practice of using Asian flavors in her recipes without acknowledging the sources of these flavors.[27]

After fighting with Teigen on Twitter then locking her own account, Roman apologized,[27] saying that her white privilege had played a role in her making these remarks, as well as influencing her initial reaction when criticized on social media.[28] During this time, Roman's New York Times column was put on temporary leave, with the intention to be reintroduced at some point in the future.[29][30]

Departure and continued career (2020–present)

In December 2020, Roman announced she would be leaving The New York Times to begin a "new chapter" elsewhere.[31] A representative from the paper stated that "Alison decided to move on from The [New York] Times and we’re very thankful for her work with us."[32]

Roman continues to share recipes through social media and a Substack newsletter.[32] She began a new series of YouTube videos in January 2021 titled Home Movies.[33]

Personal life

Roman has lived in Brooklyn, New York since at least 2018.[9] She describes herself as "half-Jewish" and regularly celebrates Passover and other religious holidays since moving to New York.[34]

Bibliography

  • Lemons. Short Stack Books, 2015. ISBN 9780990785323
  • Dining In. Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2017. ISBN 9780451496997
  • With Fabián von Hauske and Jeremiah Stone, A Very Serious Cookbook: Contra Wildair. Phaidon Press, 2018. ISBN 9780714876023
  • Nothing Fancy. Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2019. ISBN 9780451497017

References

  1. ^ a b c d Gagne, Yasme (April 29, 2020). "How Alison Roman cooks up viral recipes, from #TheCookies to #TheStew". Fast Company. Mansueto Ventures, LLC. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Reynolds, Megan (October 22, 2019). "Alison Roman Is More Than #TheStew". Jezebel. G/O Media Inc. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Gould, Emily (May 23, 2019). "Alison Roman Gives Instagram Food Trends A Good Name". Elle. Hearst Magazine Media. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Senior Food Editor Alison Roman Is Leaving, but At Least These Videos Are Forever". Bon Appétit. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Sifton, Sam (July 11, 2018). "Alison Roman! Alison Roman! (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "Alison Roman Comes to CNN+".
  7. ^ "CNN Releases First Look and Announces New CNN Original Series "(More Than) A Cooking Show" with Alison Roman to Debut on CNN This Fall". CNN. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers". New York Times. December 22, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Weinberg, Sarah (November 10, 2019). "Chef Alison Roman's Brooklyn Kitchen Is Just As Cool As You Imagined It". Delish. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Alison Roman". www.prior.club. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "Alison Roman – About the Author". Penguin Random House. Penguin Random House. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d "Alison Roman, Writer & Cook". Into the Gloss. Glossier Inc. November 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Alison Roman Is Reportedly Pivoting (Back) to Restaurants - nofilter by influence.co". influence.co. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Vogt, PJ (February 4, 2021). "The Test Kitchen, Chapter 1". Reply All (Podcast). Gimlet Media. Event occurs at 22:27. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  15. ^ Moskin, Julia (November 2, 2010). "A New Flavor for Bon Appétit (Published 2010)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  16. ^ Aggeler, Madeleine (March 2, 2018). "How I Ruined Instagram's Favorite Cookie". The Cut. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  17. ^ "Best cookbooks and food writing of 2019". the Guardian. November 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  18. ^ "Alison Roman's "Nothing Fancy" and the Art of the Unpretentious Dinner Party". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Grechko, Irina. "Alison Roman's New Book Sings The Praises Of "Unfussy" Food". Nylon. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  20. ^ Chittal, Nisha (October 14, 2019). "The dinner party isn't dead. It just looks different today". Vox. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Abad-Santos, Alex (April 22, 2020). "How Alison Roman became the reluctant, pasta-loving "prom queen of the pandemic"". Vox. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  22. ^ Fischer, Molly (March 24, 2020). "Just Give In to Alison Roman". The Cut. Vox Media. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  23. ^ O'Connell, Michael (April 9, 2020). "How Alison Roman Became the Face of Home Cooking, Apocalypse Notwithstanding". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  24. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (April 24, 2020). "Recipe queen Alison Roman's popularity, explained by Alison Roman". Vox. Vox Media. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  25. ^ Chambrot, Krysten (December 16, 2020). "NYT Cooking's 20 Most Popular Recipes of 2020". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  26. ^ Carman, Tim (May 11, 2020). "The Chrissy Teigen-Alison Roman debacle underscores the fundamental flaws of food media". Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  27. ^ a b "What Exactly Is Going on Between Chrissy Teigen and Alison Roman on Twitter?". Eater. May 11, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  28. ^ Gostin, Nicki (May 20, 2020). "Chrissy Teigen calls on New York Times to reinstate Alison Roman". Page Six. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  29. ^ Tani, Maxwell (May 19, 2020). "Alison Roman's NY Times Column 'On Temporary Leave' After Chrissy Teigen Feud". Daily Beast. Retrieved January 30, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  30. ^ Vanderhoof, Erin (May 26, 2020). "Alison Roman Is Back and Seemingly Charting a New Course". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 30, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ Zhang, Jenny G. (December 17, 2020). "After Months-Long Hiatus, Cookbook Author Alison Roman Officially Departs From the New York Times". Eater. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  32. ^ a b Bitsky, Leah (December 16, 2020). "Alison Roman won't return to New York Times after Chrissy Teigen drama". Page Six. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  33. ^ Bitsky, Leah (January 26, 2021). "Alison Roman launches YouTube channel after New York Times column ends". Page Six. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  34. ^ Roman, Alison (March 31, 2020). "Alison Roman's Passover Menu". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
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