Kim Marie Severson (born September 12, 1961) is a reporter for The New York Times. She won a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2018 as part of The New York Times coverage of sexual harassment and abuse and is a four-time James Beard award–winner for food writing. Severson has published multiple cookbooks and a cooking themed memoir.
Kim Marie Severson | |
|---|---|
 Kim Severson speaks at the 2011 Alaska Press Club conference. | |
| Born | September 12, 1961 |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Notable credit | The New York Times |
Severson wrote for the Anchorage Daily News 1991–1998 as a features writer.[1] She wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle's food section from 1999[2] to 2004.[3] She joined the New York Times in 2004. Severson covered sexual harassment in the restaurant industry for the New York Times;[4] the paper received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage on sexual harassment.[5]
Biography
Severson worked for the Anchorage Daily News from 1991 to 1998 as a features writer.[1] Severson wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle's food section around 1999[2]–2005.[3][6] She joined The New York Times in 2004.[7] In 2010, she became the Atlanta bureau chief for the Times.[8][9] In 2014, she joined the Times's new digital cooking initiative and began reporting on national food news and trends.[citation needed]
At present, Severson's New York Times author profile says that Severson reports on national food news and culture, and contributes to NYT Cooking.[7]
Severson's most recent book, Cook Fight, was co-authored with Julia Moskin, a New York Times food writer, and was published by Ecco Press, an imprint of HarperCollins, in 2012. Her memoir, Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life, was published by Riverhead Press on April 15, 2010.[10] A new edition of her first cookbook, The New Alaska Cookbook, came out in June 2009. Her first book, The Trans Fat Solution: Cooking and Shopping to Eliminate the Deadliest Fat from Your Diet, was published by Ten Speed Press in 2003.
Severson served as vice-president of the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association. She has written about the economic and cultural impact of being a lesbian without the benefits of legal marriage.[11][12]
Awards
Severson's James Beard awards are for:
- 2000 Winner in Newspaper Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs. "The Rise and Fall of a Star: How the King of California Cuisine Lost an Empire"[13][14]
- 2003 Winner in Newspaper Series: "The Most American of Meals Draws Rookies: The Bay Area’s Worst Cooks Vie for a Chance to Learn with a Pro", "The Challenge Begins: Our Winner Learns to Plan, Shop, and Prep", "Countdown to Thanksgiving: Our Training Camp Recruit Tackles the Turkey"[15]
- 2003 Winner: Newspaper Feature Writing Without Recipes. San Francisco Chronicle. "High Stakes: Bay Area at the Forefront of the Big-Bucks Battle Between Backers of Grass-Fed Beef and Traditional Cattlemen"[15]
- 2004 Winner: Newspaper Feature Writing Without Recipes. San Francisco Chronicle. "A Lot of Cooks in the MRE Kitchen"[16]
- 2018 Nominee in Investigative Reporting, New York Times: "Ken Friedman, Power Restaurateur, is Accused of Sexual Harassment"[13][4]
Severson won a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2018 as part of The New York Times coverage of sexual harassment and abuse in the spheres of Hollywood, politics, the media and restaurants.[4][5] She has won four James Beard awards for food writing.[17][18][19] She also won the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for her San Francisco Chronicle work, along with fellow reporter Meredith May, on childhood obesity in 2002.[20][21]
Personal
As of 2016, Severson lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and has one child.[22]
Severson affirmed her partnership with Katia Emilia Hetter in 2006. The two divorced in 2012. [23]
Bibliography
- (2003) The Trans Fat Solution: Cooking and Shopping to Eliminate the Deadliest Fat from Your Diet
- (2009) The New Alaska Cookbook
- (2010) Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life
- (2012) CookFight, with Julia Moskin (ISBN 978-0061988387)