High School

If you are interested in becoming a food writer or an editor, take English, general science, family and consumer science, and computer classes while in high school. If they are offered at your school, take elective classes in writing or editing, such as journalism and business communications. Editors and writers in any areas must be expert communicators, so you should excel in English in speech. You must learn to write well, since you will be correcting and even rewriting the work of others. While in high school, participating with the school's newspaper, yearbook, or any other publication will be of benefit to you.

Postsecondary Training

Most food writing and editing jobs require a college education. Some employers desire communications or journalism training in college. Others will require culinary course work. Most schools offer courses in journalism and some have more specialized courses in book publishing, writing and editing for the Web, publication management, and newspaper and magazine writing.

Some employers require a degree or certificate from culinary school, or culinary work experience, in addition to a background in writing or editing. You may wish to take cooking classes from a local culinary school or community college to enhance your marketability as a food writer or editor.

In addition to formal course work, most employers look for practical writing and editing experience of any kind. Experience with college newspapers, yearbooks, or literary magazines will give you an edge, as well as if you have worked for small community newspapers or radio stations, even in an unpaid position. Many businesses, book publishers, magazines, newspapers, and radio and television stations have summer internship programs that provide valuable training. Interns do many simple tasks, such as run errands and answer phones, but some may be asked to perform research, conduct interviews, or even write or edit some minor pieces.

Certification

Some colleges and universities offer certificates in food writing, food editing, or related fields. For example, the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg offers a graduate certificate in food writing and photography. Visit https://www.usfsp.edu/food-writing for more information. Contact schools in your area to learn what types of certificate programs are available. 

Other Education or Training

The Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) and the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association offer continuing education workshops and seminars at their annual conferences. Recent sessions at the AFJ's annual conference included Opening Doors: How to Build Your Food-Writing Career in Today's Climate, Food Styling and Photography Tips, and The Tax Man Cometh: Tips for Freelance Food Writers. In addition, webinars, conference seminars, digital journalism training sessions, and other continuing education opportunities are offered by professional associations such as the ACES: The Society for Editing, American Society of News Editors, International Association of Culinary Professionals, MPA–The Association of Magazine Media, and the Online News Association. Topics include writing, editing, interviewing, social media, and technology. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

There are no certification or licensing requirements for food writers and editors.

Any experience working or volunteering as a writer or editor will be useful for those aspiring to enter these careers. Aspiring writers and editors should participate in at least one internship during college in order to gain valuable experience and allow them to make industry contacts, which could lead to a job offer after graduation. 

In general, food writers and editors should be creative and able to express ideas clearly. Other important traits include curiosity, persistence, initiative, resourcefulness, an accurate memory, the ability to concentrate and produce quality work under pressure, good research skills and organizational abilities, and excellent grammar, spelling, writing, and editing skills.

One last requirement, perhaps the most obvious, is that you should love food and everything to do with food. As a food writer or editor, you will spend much of your time sampling products, trying recipes, and writing or editing countless numbers of stories about food, so if you're not passionate about the subject, you will not be happy with your job.