Jay Rayner

Jay Rayner
Born 14 September 1966[1]
London, England
Residence London, England
Nationality British
Education The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Alma mater Leeds University
Occupation Broadcaster, writer, journalist, food critic
Years active 1988-present
Employer BBC, Channel 4 and The Observer
Spouse(s) Pat Gordon-Smith[2]
Parent(s) Desmond Rayner
Claire Rayner (deceased)

Jay Rayner (born 14 September 1966) is a British journalist, writer, broadcaster and food critic.

Life and career

Rayner is the younger son of journalist Claire Rayner and Desmond Rayner. His family is Jewish.[3] He was brought up in the Sudbury Hill area of Harrow and attended the independent The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School.[4] He joined The Observer newspaper after graduating from Leeds University in 1988, where he was editor of the student newspaper. As of 2014 he is restaurant critic of The Observer. He has written for a wide range of British newspapers and magazines, including GQ, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, the New Statesman and Granta. In 1992 he was named Young Journalist of the Year in the British Press Awards.

His first novel, The Marble Kiss, published in 1994, was shortlisted for the Author's Club First Novel Award and his second, Day of Atonement (1998), was shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly Prize for Fiction.[5] His first non-fiction book, Stardust Falling, was published in 2002 and was followed by his third novel, The Apologist, published in the US as Eating Crow, in 2004.

In 1997 he won a Sony Radio Award for Papertalk, BBC Radio Five Live's magazine programme about the newspaper business, which he presented.

He was one of the panel of critics who made up the titular "enemy" on the daytime cookery show Eating with the Enemy and performs a similar role on the UK version of MasterChef. His television appearances have earnt him the nickname Acid Rayner due to his sour demeanour.[6] He is the food reporter on the BBC magazine programme The One Show, and was on the panel of judges on the American programme Top Chef Masters.

He chairs a Radio Four programme called "Kitchen Cabinet" (SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p9l1v), and has appeared on a University Challenge TV quiz Christmas special.

He was awarded the title Beard of the Year for 2011 by the Beard Liberation Front.[7]

He attended Malton Food Festival as a guest star in 2013, with celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio.

He is an accomplished jazz pianist.

Books

Fiction

Non-fiction

Awards

Reviews

References

  1. "Researcha". Web.researcha.com.
  2. Neustatter, Angela (3 November 1996). "Is it time confessional man shut up?". The Independent (London).
  3. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/the-arts/books/the-big-interview-jay-rayner-1-5716032
  4. Rayner, Jay (2003-03-02). "Tales my mother never told me". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  5. "The Jewish Quarterly". The Jewish Quarterly). 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  6. "Inside Pulse". 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  7. "2011: a good year for facial hair". Open Road. 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  8. "Interview with Jay Rayner". digyorkshire.com. 2009-05-27. Retrieved 2009-06-17.

External links