Pulitzer Prize-Winning Restaurant Critic Jonathan Gold Dead at 57

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - Jonathan Gold, the first restaurant critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, has died at age 57 of pancreatic cancer. The Los Angeles Times said he died Saturday at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was diagnosed with the disease in early July.

Gold was the subject of Laura Gabbert’s 2015 documentary “City of Gold,” that showed the Los Angeles food scene through the eyes of the L.A. native.

He was beloved in the food world for his vivid writing and relentless pursuit of the best tastes, and he saw Los Angeles as a giant, endlessly exciting multicultural smorgasbord.

Gold was raised in West Los Angeles and started out as a music writer and punk musician before turning to food writing. He wrote for the L.A. Weekly, L.A. Times and Gourmet before returning to the L.A. Times six years ago.

Phil Rosenthal, whose “I’ll Have What Phil’s Having” show takes a similarly enthusiastic approach to food as Gold, was among those in the food world paying tribute to the critic.

He is survived by his wife, a Los Angeles Times editor Laurie Ochoa, and two children.