The Food Essay:
Craft, Research, and Cultivation

  • This is a class for the working writer and the hopeful working writer. Whether food is the major subject of your work or not, the focus here is on the craft of the essay and its historic, current, and future possibilities in the world of media and publishing.

    Originally a class developed for the Boston University gastronomy program, where I am a lecturer, this is a revamped version that will provide new and seasoned writers alike with guidance, literary rigor, and camaraderie for the next phase of their work. Each week’s readings are specifically chosen to highlight different craft questions and provide the foundation for our discussions. The class size is kept deliberately small in order to make sure everyone receives the attention desired.

    If you like, you can select the editing add-on for weekly assignments and receive my editorial feedback, as well as advice on pitching or shaping for self-publishing.

  • Winter Sessions, January 12 through February 9 (5 weeks)

    DAY: 11 a.m. EST to 12:30 p.m EST

    EVENING: 7 p.m. EST to 8:30 p.m. EST 

    Spring and fall sessions to be announced at later dates.

  • Zoom
    You will receive an email with a download immediately upon signing up that will contain the readings and a Zoom link. I will also email you 30 minutes prior to class as a reminder.

  • Week 1: The Food Essay: Past, Present, & Future

    In the first class, you will be provided with a historic understanding of the food essay, its major writers, and its concerns, as well as an overview of where food media is now and its possible futures. The readings will give you a foundational literary understanding of the form.

    Week 2: Creating the Persona

    In this class, we will talk about what it means to craft a “narrative persona” and some of the ways in which we can cultivate our voice on the page. The readings will focus on different expressions of persona and voice that illustrate the more points. 

    Week 3: Reporting, Research, Anecdote

    All three of these are significant to every form of essay you might write, but how do you go about them? With both practical and theoretical guidance, this class will teach you how to decide on sources, set up interviews, read for research, and cultivate the attention you need to know when anecdote will flesh out your story. The readings will demonstrate each of these practices. 

    Week 4: Writing with the Body

    Narrative recipes have a lot to teach us about bringing not only the movements of our bodies into our writing but our senses, as well. These flourishes can make the difference between an essay that is engaging and an essay that flops. The readings will show how through chronicling the act of cooking, we can expand the number of tools at our disposal for work on any subject matter.

    Week 5: Food and Cultural Criticism

    Food is an interdisciplinary subject that has relationships to everything from culture to labor to ecology and beyond. How can we use food to make big subjects and systemic issues pleasurable to read about? In this final class, we will discuss what cultural criticism is, why it is a great form for food writers to understand, and how to approach it using the tools discussed in prior classes. The readings will demonstrate what it looks like when food is used as a way into big issues in the world. 

  • Alicia Kennedy is the author of the bestselling No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating and On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites. She has recently written essays about food for The Yale Review, Financial Times, Wired, and CNN, and she is a lecturer in the Boston University gastronomy program.

  • The Food Essay course is a great program for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the world of the essay. The selection of readings takes you through different perspectives and voices, from literary to academic, giving you a deeper understanding of the essay in its many forms. Alicia is approachable and generous with her knowledge and experience. It’s always a real treat to learn from her. —Ana G.

    Alicia’s knowledge within the field of the food essay is vast and her ability to pull up resources for continued learning during class discussions is a superpower. Readings spanned decades of writings, and she led thoughtful dialogs that left me inspired. I would say most importantly Alicia’s teaching style and presence in the space is generous and encouraging and that is a true gift. —Kirsten S.


    I took Alicia Kennedy’s five-week Food Essay course in June 2025 and I would honestly take it again. She helped me understand the power of voice, how important editing is, and most importantly, how to have more media literacy, which made me feel more confident as a writer.  We had an excellent cohort, which makes me think that taking this class again will always be a new and informative experience. —Sarah G.