D. Scott Caruthers: A Talented Food Writer
D. Scott Caruthers has had an interest in food all his life. Both his parents were involved in the food industry. His father was a chef and his mother’s family owned and operated several restaurants. Ever since he was a child Caruthers had been exposed to some of the tastiest dishes imaginable. He had also been in and out of countless kitchens and was very familiar with food preparation and presentation. His father had taught him what it takes to gives dishes their unique aromas and scrumptious taste. His mother had always stressed to him that the way a dish looks plays a major role in people’s enjoyment of the meal.
When he was old enough to safely work in the kitchen, his father had begun to teach him how to cook. He began by showing young D. Scott Caruthers how to select, cut up and season the best vegetables and cuts of meats. As he got older, Caruthers not only helped out in the kitchen, he learned to do a wide range of important jobs in a restaurant. That included setting and clearing the tables and eventually serving the food to customers. By the time he finished high school, Caruthers had a basic understanding of food preparation and what it takes to please customers and run a restaurant.
When it came time to choose a career, D. Scott Caruthers had his heart set on the culinary arts. But his parents, after many years of working in the food service industry, were aware of how labor intensive and time-consuming it could be. Although they knew he had a talent for and an interest in food preparation, they wanted him to explore other fields as well. D. Scott Caruthers had always shown a love for reading and writing and got good grades in his English classes at school. So they offered him a deal. They told him if he would major in English in college they would teach him the finer points of food preparation and presentation.
When he got to college, D. Scott Caruthers excelled in his English classes. He also began writing for several publications on campus. In his free time during the holidays, his parents taught him the intricacies of preparing fabulous dishes. They also enlisted his help in creating descriptions of the dishes on their menus and writing promotional pieces for local publications. Caruthers found he enjoyed writing about food almost as much as he liked cooking it. In his junior year in college, he started a blog that rated the quality of the food available on and near campus.
It was a big hit. Soon local restaurants began contacting him to do descriptions of their dishes for his blog so they could attract more students. Eventually, D. Scott Caruthers was writing promotional pieces for a host of restaurants around town. He was making a good income and the writing didn’t require him to work the long hours his parents did. As graduation approached, Caruthers began to seriously ponder his future. Through his blog and his private writing jobs, he saw the potential for a lucrative career. But he still loved creating scrumptious dishes and seeing people enjoy them.
About two months before graduation, D. Scott Caruthers got an offer that would change his life and define his career path. The town’s largest newspaper offered him the opportunity to create a column that provided restaurant reviews and recommended interesting new dishes for people to try. As a caveat. they offered to publish a cookbook of his favorite dishes he featured in his column during the course of the year. After talking with his parents, seeing their excitement and getting their blessing, he accepted the position. He loved the work. His ability to not only judge the quality of the cuisine around town but to also provide unique insights into preparing great dishes, made him hit.
Soon D. Scott Caruthers’ column was a ‘must read’ in the local newspaper and he developed a loyal following. When his cookbook was released, it quickly became a bestseller. Over the next few years, D. Scoot Caruthers became a nationally-known food writer with a reputation for being an excellent chef himself.
