To Save His Life, Our Food Critic Reset His Appetite

For 12 years, Pete Wells had his dream job: working as the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times. The job’s journalistic mission required Wells to eat out most nights and taste nearly everything on any given restaurant’s menu. He didn’t realize it at the time, but the excessive eating had taken a toll on his body.

Then came a health crisis, followed by his doctor’s advice to “stop doing what you’re doing right now.”

In 2024, Wells gave up his post as restaurant critic and set out to remake his entire relationship with food.

On today’s episode, Michael Barbaro speaks with Wells about the realities of life as a restaurant critic, and what he’s learning about the joys of home cooking, mindful eating and grocery shopping for the diet he intends to follow.

On Today’s Episode:

Pete Wells is a reporter covering food for The New York Times. He was formerly The Times’s restaurant critic.

Background Reading:

After 12 Years of Reviewing Restaurants, I’m Leaving the Table

Our Former Restaurant Critic Changed His Eating Habits. You Can, Too.

To Eat Healthier, Our Critic Went to the Source: His Kitchen

To Tune Out Food Noise, Our Critic Listened to His Hunger

To Improve How He Ate, Our Critic Looked at What He Drank

Photo Credit: Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(2931)

The Iranians Who Want More War

Fractures in Tehran are pitting a faction favoring negotiation with Washington against hard-liners who oppose making a deal with the United States. Guest: Abdi Latif Dahir, a Middle East correspond...

28 Jul 29min

What A.I. Is Actually Doing to the Economy

As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, people are getting more nervous about how it could change the economy and their jobs. Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New Yor...

27 Jul 34min

Why Do Some Memories Survive Dementia?

When the Times reporter Ellen Barry’s father developed dementia after a fall, her family spent years trying to manage his erratic behavior and confusion. They struggled to convince him that he was hom...

26 Jul 29min

Karl-Anthony Towns Knows the Knicks' Win Was Bigger Than Basketball

New York’s star center on playing for his mom, Patrick Ewing. generations of emotional fans — and himself. Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@The...

25 Jul 39min

Could ‘Trump Accounts’ Actually Close the Wealth Gap?

This month, President Trump announced the start of “Trump accounts,” an investment device that could eventually help address the nation’s wealth gap. Claire Cain Miller, who covers families and educat...

24 Jul 31min

Why Is the U.S. Building the Saudi Nuclear Program While Destroying Iran’s?

The United States signed a landmark deal on Wednesday that allows Saudi Arabia to develop a nuclear program. At the same time, President Trump is escalating the war in Iran, a conflict that the White ...

23 Jul 25min

Trump’s Clashing Goals: More Housing, Fewer Immigrants

To address the United States’ acute housing shortage, Congress recently passed a landmark piece of legislation designed to encourage the construction of new homes. The problem is that President Trump’...

22 Jul 36min

As the Iran War Escalates, Is the U.S. Hiding Its Toll?

The war in Iran has recently escalated in dangerous new ways, drawing in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as the Trump administration reeled from the Iranian killing of U.S. service members in Jordan...

21 Jul 26min