FoodGPS’ Joshua Lurie. Photograph by Gary Leonard.

BLOGGER: Joshua Lurie
FEATURED BLOG: FoodGPS
TWITTER: @FoodGPS

Joshua Lurie is a food blogger. Not because it’s trendy – he’s been at it since 2005 – but because he loves to eat, write and share. Food is all about the people and the stories that are behind it, he says.

There are countless stories to be told about our food and the people who farm, distribute, make, sell, prepare, cook, eat and otherwise influence it. Of course, now that food blogging has exploded across the country, it’s not terribly difficult to find decent, locally-focused food blogs that are telling some of those stories. Still, it’s always a treat to run across a well-written, well-organized hyperlocal blog like Lurie’s FoodGPS, which centers on Los Angeles, CA, the city he now calls home.

Raised just outside of New York City in suburban New Jersey, Lurie says he grew up on “a steady diet of red sauce Italian food, pizza, Americanized Chinese food, burgers and fried chicken.” During his adolescent years, Lurie’s culinary world gradually expanded with each trip his family would take into the City. Still, his training as a foodie (and as a writer) really got underway once he went off to college at Vanderbilt and began spending his summers in LA, where he’d eat adventurously while interning at City Hall and also at film production companies.

“I originally got into TV because I was a tour guide at the studios, [and] part of being a page was being ‘leased out,’ to different production companies on the lot,” Lurie says. “They leased me out to Belisarius Productions and I found out about a writer’s assistant position [that was open]. I never would have imagined writing fiction at all, on TV or otherwise, but that kind of inspired me to start writing, and I eventually pursued [writing as a career].”

Lurie went on to work on television programs such as JAG and NCIS. After launching FoodGPS, taking a food writing course and expanding his network, however, he eventually made the switch to full-time freelance food writer and blogger (I asked him if he missed working in TV. His response? “Not at all.”). I’m thrilled to add him to our Bloggers We Love blog roll, and am happy to share part of our conversation here. I hope you find it as valuable as I did.

What prompted you to launch FoodGPS?

I was originally inspired on December 29, 2004, after an old high school friend and I shared a meal at Per Se [in New York]. We asked for as many courses as they’d serve us, figuring we might not have another opportunity to eat at Per Se. They brought 16-18 courses for each of us, each of them different, and we shared everything. It was such a spectacular meal [that I felt I needed to share it, so] I got on Blogger and created a blog. That was in January 2005. That was my first post – this epic meal at Per Se.

How has the blog changed since then?

It’s been an evolution. [For a while,] I only posted about meals I thought were special. Then, eventually, in 2007, I decided to write restaurant news related to Los Angeles. Then, in early 2009, I created separate pages for drinks and for coffee, and I also started focusing more on the people [behind the food], instead of just providing commentary on food. FoodGPS continues to cover the special meals that I come across both in LA and beyond, but I also do quite a few profiles with [people in the industry], as well as event coverage.

How has blogging influenced your professional life?

I really do think FoodGPS has been great for providing exposure [for me] and I do still put a good amount of time into FoodGPS since it’s my personal brand. As far as having my own brand, it’s one of those few opportunities as a freelance writer [where I get to] control the content and cover what I want to cover, and [that's important to me because] I think that I’m adding unique content to the food blogging universe. There are hundreds of thousands of food blogs at this point. A lot of them fall into the commentary realm. I have some friends [blogging in that realm], and I enjoy many of those [blogs] But, finally, that wasn’t really enough for me [so I decided to do something a little bit different.]

What’s been the most rewarding aspect of local food blogging?

This is actually easy – it’s meeting all sorts of interesting people in the food community – [those who work in] bars or restaurants, or other bloggers. I’ve been able to form all sorts of great relationships and have been able to enjoy [the drinking and dining] experience on a much deeper level than just consumption.

Your profiles are really interesting. Who have been some of your favorites?

John Rivera Sedlar – the Chef/Owner of Rivera in Downtown LA. I didn’t really know much about his history before interviewing him prior to Rivera’s opening, and it’s a restaurant I keep returning to, including last Friday night. He’s an incredibly ambitious chef but he’s also humble and gracious and I think what he’s doing isn’t being done anywhere else. [I've really enjoyed] getting to learn about his approach better.

Another was Aiden Demarest, who was the opening manager at Seven Grand, which was a very influential bar when it opened in Downtown LA. He’s now gone to work [elsewhere], but he has that historic perspective on the downtown cocktail scene, which has really exploded.

Reza Esmaili was another interesting one. He’s President of the Northern California Chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, and I met with him in San Francisco. Not only is he a bartender, he’s an owner/operator. He’s just taken over a place called Long Bar, and it was interesting hear him lay out what’s important [for that venture]. He has the ability to put together a great cocktail program [at Long Bar], but that wasn’t the priority to start. He’s been working behind the bar and on many other levels, so he’s got a historical perspective on the cocktail scene. There’s more context in his approach, and a personal history [that I found interesting].

What’s the most challenging aspect of local food writing and blogging?

Finding balance. At this stage, my primary income comes from covering restaurants and events, so I basically have to be out every single night. I’m at restaurants 2-3 times a day. I cook very rarely at this stage. I feel like my life has gotten increasingly imbalanced in terms of non-food/drinking related activities. A quiet night at home, being able to cook, is almost unthinkable at this point. That’s been kind of a struggle. Most of the time I’m able to enjoy myself at some level, but I’m certainly [aware of the imbalance]. Exercise is also a priority, and there are days when I have trouble finding the time to do that. Luckily, [I'm fairly young, so this lifestyle] hasn’t taken it’s toll yet, but it’s certainly something I’m conscious of and I need to find a way to address it.

I imagine you’re a pretty adventurous eater. What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten?

There’s nothing I won’t eat except for maybe some sort of insect. I’ve had Mexican grasshoppers, chapulines, fried with chili, lime and salt. I’ll try just about anything.

The other day I went to dinner at an Indonesian restaurant, and we finished our meal with a big plate of durian. I was traveling in Asia in 2005, and they don’t allow it on public transportation [because of its smell]. I actually like it. It’s kind of custardy– yellow and green– and it’s got some sweetness to it – but it’s massive, too, green and spiky.

In Taiwan, I tried stinky tofu, crumbled. It was pretty funky. It’s hard to get past the smell. But I might try it again.

So, considering all the places you’ve traveled and all the food you’ve eaten, what is it you like most about the LA food scene?

I think what I like about the LA food scene is what I like about Los Angeles: there are infinite possibilities. There’s no limit to the types of cuisines you’ll find. It requires more driving, but that’s OK – as long as the results are interesting.

What advice would you have for someone who’s interested in starting a local food blog?

A bunch of people have told me that they’ve always thought about starting a food blog. My reaction is, ‘Just do it. It’s free. You can start it today. You can write your first post tonight.’ Sometimes people get too wrapped up in making their blog unique, but once they start, they can figure that out later.

P.S. Local bloggers, don’t forget to register your blog here. It’s quick, simple, and will help drive traffic to your blog.
P.P.S.: If you’d like to be featured in our ‘Bloggers We Love’ series (or you’d like to nominate your favorite local blogger(s) for inclusion), we’d love to hear from you! Simply send an email to esther@outside.in