To Save His Life, Our Restaurant Critic Reset His Appetite

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Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Produced by Tina Antolini

With Luke Vander Ploeg and Alex Barron

Featuring Pete Wells

Edited by Wendy Dorr

Engineered by Rowan Niemisto

Original music by Dan PowellMarion Lozano and Rowan Niemisto

For 12 years, Pete Wells had his dream job: working as the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times. The job’s journalistic mission required Wells to eat out most nights and taste nearly everything on any given restaurant’s menu. He didn’t realize it at the time, but the excessive eating had taken a toll on his body.

Then came a health crisis, followed by his doctor’s advice to “stop doing what you’re doing right now.”

In 2024, Wells gave up his post as restaurant critic and set out to remake his entire relationship with food.

On today’s episode, Michael Barbaro speaks with Wells about the realities of life as a restaurant critic, and what he’s learning about the joys of home cooking, mindful eating and grocery shopping for the diet he intends to follow.

On Today’s Episode

Pete Wells is a reporter covering food for The New York Times. He was formerly The Times’s restaurant critic.

Background Reading

• After 12 Years of Reviewing Restaurants, I’m Leaving the Table
• Our Former Restaurant Critic Changed His Eating Habits. You Can, Too.
• To Eat Healthier, Our Critic Went to the Source: His Kitchen
• To Tune Out Food Noise, Our Critic Listened to His Hunger
• To Improve How He Ate, Our Critic Looked at What He Drank

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Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Our Sunday theme music is by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam, Nick Pitman and Tyler Cabot.

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