Food and wine, a perfect pair. What makes this pairing even better is that it’s being brought to the classroom.
Meet the new JAMS adjunct professor, Brooke Jackson-Glidden, editor of Eater Portland, who will be joining the department this spring to teach the new food and wine writing course.
Jackson-Glidden has been a foodie their whole life. Throughout their childhood, food was something they always were fascinated by. Instead of reading children’s books like The Magic Treehouse, Brooke opted for the more flavorful choice of “Bon Appetit”, an American food magazine that their mom collected.
Jackson-Glidden grew up in Eugene, Ore., reading these magazines made them realize they loved food.
“I really became kind of excited by this idea of the table. Like, what happens at the table, what do people bring to the table from a food perspective or a culture perspective,” Brooke said. “ I actually decided I wanted to (go into food writing) from a very young age.” At the age of six to be exact.
Through high school, Jackson-Glidden worked for their school newspaper and even started their own food blog at age 16.
“If that still exists, that would be mortifying for me,” Jackson-Glidden said.
After high school, Jackson-Glidden set sail across the country to attend college at Boston University, which is known for its strong journalism program.
Through their college years, Jackson-Glidden worked for the Boston Globe, writing many different kinds of features, including movie reviews, travel pieces and of course, food reviews. They even interned with The New York Times. It was through their time at the Boston Globe and The New York Times that they learned what it meant to be a food writer.
After college, Jackson-Glidden knew the Pacific Northwest was always going to be home, so they decided to go back, where they started working regularly as a reporter for the Statesman Journal.
At the Statesman Journal, Jackson-Glidden did it all. They learned how to assist with food shoots, book appointments and mastered the culture of food writing.
“It was an important learning opportunity for me because I got a broader spectrum of what a food story can be,” Jackson-Glidden said. “I learned beyond just writing about restaurants.”
Soon enough, they became the editor of Eater Portland, where they has been for the last five years.
Jackson-Glidden has also recently won the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award at the James Beard Awards, a prestigious award in the realm of food writing.
With days full of writing, editing and eating, Jackson-Glidden has landed their dream job. However, Jackson-Glidden strives to revolutionize the food writing world, which is why they find empowerment in teaching.
Although Linfield will serve as their first university teaching experience, Jackson-Glidden has been teaching for free, to anyone in the public, about food writing.
Jackson-Glidden developed a pre-recorded food writing course so anyone could access it. They also provided a transcript of every lecture so anyone could access the lecture.
“We had students who were listening in from India, Nigeria and from England and New York,” Jackson-Glidden said. “They were all sort of taking part in this class that I tried to remove as many barriers as possible, so it was free.”
In the food writing world, people often taste cuisines from various cultures, although the profession consists mostly of white people. For Jackson-Glidden, making this learning accessible to anyone and everyone from anywhere in the world was the best way they could see fit to change the narrative in food writing and allow for more fair coverage.
The Department of Journalism and Media Studies is welcoming Jackson-Glidden as part of the team for spring, to further add the knowledge of food writing to the school’s young, eager minds.
“I think what’s exciting to me even more than writing at this point is just getting to work with writers,” Jackson-Glidden said. “And just building in more time to (teach) is really important to me.”
During this class, students will approach various styles of food writing. From recipe development to reviews, news reporting and social media reels, students will develop a toolbox of various ways to tell a food story. Students will also visit wineries and restaurants and hear from successful guest speakers.
While they are most excited about the food and winery trips, Jackson-Glidden is equally excited to teach the art of food writing.
“It’s every beat. It’s technology, it’s politics, it’s agriculture. It’s so many different things. It’s business and also it’s creative writing,” Jackson-Glidden said. “I think there are a lot of things that can be learned from this class that can be valuable to you.”
Learn more about Brooke Jackson-Glidden here and check out their most recent stories at Eater Portland.
