James Oseland

James Oseland (born February 9, 1963 in Mountain View, California) is an American food writer and magazine editor^[1] who lives in Manhattan. He became the editor-in-chief of Saveur in 2006, after serving as the magazine's executive editor.^[2] Before Saveur, Oseland wrote for Food & Wine, Gourmet, and Time Out New York. Previously, he was an editor at Vogue, Organic Style, L.A. Weekly, TV Guide, Vibe, Sassy, American Theatre, The Village Voice and Mademoiselle.^[3]

Oseland has written a book, Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, that was influenced by his experiences in Southeast Asia^[4] and is currently writing Jimmy Neurosis, a memoir of his punk rock youth in the 1970s, for Ecco Press, a Harper Collins imprint.^[5]

History

After dropping out of high school,^[6] Oseland earned a BFA and an MFA in photography and film studies from the San Francisco Art Institute.^[1] He considered work in Hollywood before deciding "the idea of growing old in the business just didn't sit all that well".^[6] He went on to become an editor at Vogue, Organic Style, L.A. Weekly, TV Guide, Vibe, Sassy, American American Theatre, The Village Voice and Mademoiselle^[3] before becoming editor-in-chief of Saveur.

Saveur Magazine

James Oseland was the editor-in-chief of Saveur Magazine until 2014. Under his editorship, the magazine won more than 40 awards, including numerous James Beard journalism awards, and three from the American Society of Magazine Editors.

Books

Oseland's best-known book is Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. This book, published by W.W. Norton in 2006,^[4] is a memoir with recipes about his time living in Southeast Asia, and was named one of the best books of the year by Time Asia, The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Good Morning America, and others.^[7]

He is the also the editor of Saveur’s cookbooks, including Saveur: The New Comfort Food, published in 2011, and The Way We Cook. He is on the board of the directors of the American Society of Magazine Editors and is the editor of the Lonely Planet writing anthology A Fork In the Road. He is writing Jimmy Neurosis, a memoir of his punk rock youth in the 1970s, for Ecco Press, a Harper Collins imprint.^[5]

Television and radio

Oseland has appeared on the television programs Iron Chef America and the Today Show. He is a regular guest on KCRW's Good Food and American Public Radio's The Splendid Table.^[5]

He was one of the judges on the 2009 premiere season of Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters. Jay Rayner, Gael Greene, and Gail Simmons were the other judges; Kelly Choi was the host. The show is a spin-off of Bravo TV's Top Chef.^[5]

Personal life

Born in Mountain View, California, in 1963, James Oseland has lived in India and Indonesia. He traveled extensively in Southeast Asia.^[8] Since his first visit to Jakarta in 1982, he has returned to the region many times to collect recipes from local restaurants and home cooks.^[8]

Oseland now lives in New York City with his husband, Daniel.^[9] Oseland is openly gay and a strong proponent of legalizing gay marriage.^[10]

References

External links

Saveur Magazine: http://www.saveur.com/