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Mark Kurlyandchik (Facebook photo)
Mark Kurlyandchik is officially the new food critic for the Detroit Free Press, replacing Sylvia Rector who retired in December.
Kurlyandchik ("it's pronounced 'ker-lee-AND-chick,'" he notes helpfully) writes about his long interest in writing about food:
And so I embarked on a path set a decade ago that’s led me through the editorial department at Hour Detroit magazine, freelance work for TV news programs and documentary films, and a semester-long workshop class at the University of California-Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism — where I received a master’s degree — reporting on food issues under the guidance of acclaimed author and journalist Michael Pollan.
He's an immigrant from Soviet-occupied Lithuania who grew up in Macomb County.
He writes about succeeding Rector:
I hope to continue that legacy, albeit through my own lens, using Detroit’s food scene as a window into all the issues it touches: environmental sustainability, social justice, labor rights, economic development and equality.
Fresh out of bankruptcy, the city is making progress — lights getting turned on, long-vacant buildings given renewed life. More often than not, it’s to make way for a new restaurant, with the dining scene a key player in Detroit’s resurgence.
