Shaw, Steven A. 1969–

(Steven Anthony Shaw)

PERSONAL: Born June 10, 1969. Education: Law degree.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 E. 53rd St., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10022. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Food columnist and restaurant reviewer. Publisher of fat-guy.com; cofounder of Web site egullet; founder, online eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI). Previously worked as a lawyer.

AWARDS, HONORS: James Beard Foundation Journalism Award for Internet Writing, 2002, for story "A Week in the Gramercy Tavern Kitchen."

WRITINGS:

The Menu New York: The Best Restaurants and Their Menus, Ten Speed Press (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of articles to periodicals, including Elle and Saveur.

SIDELIGHTS: Steven A. Shaw began his career as a lawyer but turned to his true passion when he became a food writer. In his book Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, the author presents insider secrets on how to get the best food and service in restaurants. For example, the author offers tips such as making sure to sit at the Sushi bar of a restaurant to get to know the chef and, as a result, perhaps get served the best food. The author also gives a close-up look at a restaurant's operations, such as the food preparation and its ultimate delivery to the table. "Hanging out with the reservationist …, assisting in the kitchen of Manhattan's renowned Gramercy Tavern and counting the number of eggs used on a Sunday at the Tavern on the Green, Shaw … soaks up the atmosphere," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. In a review for Newsweek, Anna Kuchment wrote that the author "tells you how to get exceptional service every time." A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that "this opinionated diner's tour is sure to appeal to chowhounds in general." Deborah M. Ebster, writing in the Library Journal, commented: "In his penetrating first book,… Shaw decodes the secrets of the food world," and called the effort a "delicious read for restaurant goers." Bookloons online contributor Mary Ann Smyth found the book to be a "handy guide," adding that "you will consider the investment you make in these pages well spent."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Fortune, August 8, 2005, Kate Bonamici, review of Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, p. 111.

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, August 28, 2005, Jonathan Yardley, review of Turning the Tables.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2005, review of Turning the Tables, p. 579.

Library Journal, August 1, 2005, Deborah M. Ebster, review of Turning the Tables, p. 115.

Newsweek, August 29, 2005, review of Turning the Tables, p. 80.

Publishers Weekly, May 16, 2005, review of Turning the Tables, p. 47.

ONLINE

BookLoons, http://www.bookloons.com/ (September 14, 2005), Mary Ann Smyth, review of Turning the Tables.

Morning News Online, http://www.themorningnews.org/ (September 2, 2003), Rosecrans Baldwin, interview with author.