Cooking, Books
Name
Amy Rosen
Age
50
Location
Toronto
Occupation
Food Writer
Education
McGill University, BA, University of King’s College, BJ, 1994
Kosher Style
By Amy Rosen
(Random House, 2019)
When did you go solo and why?
While still in journalism school I had the opportunity to write regularly for the provincial newspaper and alt weekly, and did some lifestyle reporting for CBC tv productions and CBC radio. I loved the freedom of writing about different topics for different outlets in different medium. It felt like the perfect career setup—if I could make it work in the real world.
Describe a typical day.
Between writing food stories or recipe testing for my next cookbook, going on trips for travel features or cooking on a daytime TV show, working on launching the next product for my business Rosen’s Cinnamon Buns, or just taking it easy, my days are like handfuls of Bits & Bites: No two are ever alike.
What’s the best project you’ve ever had?
My first client is still my favourite and they also gave me my best-ever project. I was a regular contributor to enRoute magazine when my editor at the time, Arjun Basu, said he had an idea for me: “Go across Canada and do your thing.”
Soon after, I ate for a month straight while deliciously discovering and deciding on the best new restaurants in the country. It was a big job and a lot of pressure. And it was all up to twentysomething me. That year I was nominated for a James Beard Award for the project, and enRoute’s Canada’s Best New Restaurants feature is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
What’s the hardest conversation you’ve ever had with a client?
I’m a lifestyle writer so nothing major comes to mind. Disappointing someone by saying no is never pleasant though.
Is there a psychology to soloing well?
I do believe you’ve got to have a certain personality type to go solo. I love being my own boss, and the challenges and rewards that come with that. I also enjoy the fact that everything is always changing. But for those exact reasons, it’s not for everyone.
How do you know when to say ‘no’ to a project?
It’s usually just a gut feeling. Either something seems off or I’m just not into it.
Your solo life wouldn’t run without these three tools:
Diet Coke, my Macbook, and coffee walks with friends.
Best work habit?
Working in spurts. It’s not a 9-5 thing for me, nor should it be for most writers. I do morning emails and work calls, then it’s anyone’s game. An hour here, five hours there, 20 minutes there.
Worst work habit?
Not working.
Who else in your life is a soloist?
My graphic designer friend Rose Pereira, and she loves it too.
Is your family supportive of your solo life?
They sure are, because they see how much I love it.
Who is your biggest professional inspiration?
Nora Ephron. Loved her and just about everything she ever said or did. Plus there was that underlying love of food in all of it.
What part of running a business have you never warmed up to?
The actual business side of things. I think because historically, I’ve been so terrible at math, as an adult I still don’t want to deal with numbers. But of course that doesn’t cut it in business. So, I have someone doing the books for my retail business, and I have a financial advisor for my personal stuff. Hiring help where needed is the best business advice I ever received. You don’t need to be great at everything. In fact, nobody is.
How do you plan to grow your network/market yourself?
By simply being out there. During the pandemic I did a lot of online hosting for chef events, shot remote TV cooking segments, and filmed a bunch of episodes for a new Food Network show. The pandemic opened up a new on-air career that I didn’t think I had in me.
What do you do for health insurance?
I live in Canada so my taxes take care of that.
Many of us find pricing a mystery. How do you think about what you charge for your services?
Most of the magazines and newspapers I write for set the rates, my agent figures out what to charge for my cookbooks, and for everything else it’s a negotiation.
What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve received about … accounting/bookkeeping/pricing/marketing?
Aim high. The worst that can happen is they say no and the negotiations begin.
Where do you do your best work?
I do all of my work in my home office on my computer, but once I print out a close-to-final draft I like to read it over in a coffee shop and mark changes in print. It's how I've always worked.
What do you do on your break time?
I go for a big walk in the neighbourhood or through parks or I go for a bike ride, the end goal being a bit of fresh air and an afternoon Americano.
What’s the one thing about your life today that you most treasure that you wouldn’t have if you weren’t soloing?
The freedom of doing whatever I whatever I want whenever I want, and the creativity that affords.
Do you have a vacation routine? How do you think about time off?
I don’t have a vacation routine, but believe you me I’m not lacking in downtime.
Ever miss the stability of a staff job?
All of my magazine positions have been contract, so I’ve never had a staff job or that stability, but when I was a food editor I loved the camaraderie at the office.
What keeps you up at night?
Thinking about the fact that journalism is almost dead and it’s so sad and I hope it can be saved.
What advice would you give your 22-year-old self?
You can do it.
▶︎ Toronto-based Amy Rosen is a James Beard nominated, award-winning freelance journalist. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of Modern Farmer, food editor at Chatelaine, and food editor at House & Home.
She writes regularly for publications including enRoute and The Globe and Mail, and her stories have appeared in the American anthology, Best Food Writing.
Amy’s fifth cookbook, Kosher Style, is available here. (She hopes you’ll plotz for it).
