Gail Simmons
Encyclopedia
Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert, food writer and television personality, and is the Special Projects Director with Food & Wine magazine
. In addition to her role with Food & Wine, she is a regular judge on the television show Top Chef
and hosts its spin-off, Top Chef: Just Desserts
.
Prior to joining Food & Wine, Gail was the special events manager for Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire and worked for esteemed food critic Jeffrey Steingarten at Vogue.
She was born in Toronto, Canada and graduated summa cum laude from McGill University
, where she majored in anthropology
and Spanish. She began her food journalism career writing restaurant reviews for the school paper before moving on to the monthly Toronto Life
magazine and later to the daily National Post
newspaper.
Simmons attended culinary school in New York City at the Institute of Culinary Education
and apprenticed at Le Cirque
and Vong.
Gail’s first book, her very own memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full, will be published by Hyperion in February 2012.
Gail is an active supporter of Common Threads, an organization that teaches low-income children to cook wholesome and affordable meals. She was a founding member of Food & Wine’s Grow for Good Campaign to raise funds and awareness for sustainable agriculture programs in the United States. She also sits on the boards of City Harvest, Hot Bread Kitchen, the American Institute of Wine & Food, the Institute of Culinary Education’s Alumni Committee, and the Women at NBCU Advisory Board
She was selected for the 2010 Forward 50 by The Jewish Daily Forward.
Food & Wine Magazine
Food & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
. In addition to her role with Food & Wine, she is a regular judge on the television show Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
and hosts its spin-off, Top Chef: Just Desserts
Top Chef: Just Desserts
Top Chef: Just Desserts is an American reality competition show, spun off from Top Chef. It premiered on the cable television network Bravo on September 15, 2010. Top Chef: Just Desserts features pastry chefs competing in a series of culinary challenges, focusing on pastries and desserts...
.
Prior to joining Food & Wine, Gail was the special events manager for Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire and worked for esteemed food critic Jeffrey Steingarten at Vogue.
She was born in Toronto, Canada and graduated summa cum laude from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, where she majored in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and Spanish. She began her food journalism career writing restaurant reviews for the school paper before moving on to the monthly Toronto Life
Toronto Life
Toronto Life is a monthly Canadian magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Life also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including Home Decor, Stylebook, Eating & Drinking, Real Estate and Weddings. Established in 1966,...
magazine and later to the daily National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
newspaper.
Simmons attended culinary school in New York City at the Institute of Culinary Education
Institute of Culinary Education
The Institute of Culinary Education is an American culinary school located in New York City, New York.Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges , ICE offers comprehensive 8- to 13-month career training diploma programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Culinary...
and apprenticed at Le Cirque
Le Cirque
Le Cirque is a French restaurant in Manhattan owned and operated by Sirio Maccioni. It first opened at the Mayfair Hotel in 1974. It closed and reopened as Le Cirque 2000 at the Palace Hotel in 1997. The latest installation of Le Cirque opened in 2006 in the Bloomberg Tower building at One Beacon...
and Vong.
Gail’s first book, her very own memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full, will be published by Hyperion in February 2012.
Gail is an active supporter of Common Threads, an organization that teaches low-income children to cook wholesome and affordable meals. She was a founding member of Food & Wine’s Grow for Good Campaign to raise funds and awareness for sustainable agriculture programs in the United States. She also sits on the boards of City Harvest, Hot Bread Kitchen, the American Institute of Wine & Food, the Institute of Culinary Education’s Alumni Committee, and the Women at NBCU Advisory Board
She was selected for the 2010 Forward 50 by The Jewish Daily Forward.