Welcome to the City Of Gold Exhibit
At the beginning of the 3rd quarter, the 7th graders were introduced to the work of Jonathan Gold, a famous LA food critic. Before he unfortunately passed away in July of 2018, he had written for LA Weekly and Gourmet, and was a regular guest on KCRW’s Good Food radio program, and the Los Angeles Times. Gold often wrote in the second person, and visited restaurants of all kinds around LA. We watched the documentary following his life called City of Gold and learned about Gold’s story and how his love for food and culture began. The documentary showed him driving to restaurants and reviewing them, and told the story of his childhood and work. He also gave commentary on LA, and its many cultures and social systems. One of his most famous quotes is: “I think the point of obsession with food means we're healthy as a species”.
Los Angeles wouldn’t be the same if Jonathan Gold hadn’t placed his mark on the city. His love for not only food but also for the city of Los Angeles, helped boost small restaurant businesses into extreme success, and spread the diverse culture of food throughout LA. Jonathan Gold had a different approach to his job than other critics in Los Angeles. He would go to family-owned, small, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, where most critics never thought of reviewing. When Gold reviewed a restaurant, it would frequently flourish into a popular restaurant, and change the owner's life for the better. Jonathan Gold’s appearances in rundown restaurants boosted the economies of lower-income neighborhoods. This also brought attention to more diverse foods and culture, strengthening LA’s diversity further. Gold greatly impacted the lives of chefs and restaurant owners, and left a legacy Angelenos will remember forever.
We started this project by having everyone randomly choose a country and its cuisine. Then we researched the country. Over the next few weeks, we watched City of Gold in the office and researched the country’s history and geography. We then each chose a restaurant in LA that served our country's cuisine went to those restaurants. During the meal, we took notes on the food, service, and design of the restaurant to add more detail to the reviews later. Many asked to speak to the chef or owner to get a picture with them and interview them. After everyone had gone to their restaurant, the writing of the Jonathan Gold inspired reviews began.
