Jane Grossman Stern and Michael Stern (both born 1946) are American writers who specialize in books about travel, food, and popular culture. They are best known for their ''

Roadfood ''Roadfood'' is a series of books by Jane and Michael Stern originally published in 1977. The term Roadfood was coined by the Sterns to describe the regional cuisine they discovered when they began driving around America in the early 1970s. Their ...

'' books, website, and magazine columns, in which they find road food restaurants serving classic American regional specialties and review them. Starting their hunt for regional American food in the early 1970s they were the first food writers to regard this food as being as worthy to report on as the

haute cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pric ...

of other nations. Since the Sterns began documenting regional American food in the 1970s many other writers and television personalities have used their pioneering work as inspiration. In addition to their early work with regional American food the Sterns' book ''Square Meals'' (Knopf 1985) put "

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may app ...

s" like mac and cheese, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes on the culinary map. ''Square Meals'' did an audacious reverse spin on the tricked up and precious

nouvelle cuisine ''Nouvelle cuisine'' (; ) is an approach to cooking and food presentation in French cuisine. In contrast to cuisine classique, an older form of haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased e ...

that was beloved by food critics at that time. Jane Grossman grew up in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where she attended the Walden School and received a BFA in graphic design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Michael Stern grew up in

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...

, and graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1968. They met as graduate students in art at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and their first date, at Pepe's Pizza in New Haven, had a food focus. The couple married in 1970. The following year, Jane earned an MFA in painting from Yale and Michael changed schools and earned an MFA from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in film. Neither found work in their fields of study. After a short stint of producing documentaries for

WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo stati ...

, a teaching job at Hunter College and another at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

they began work on the book that eventually became the first ''Roadfood''. The book was conceived as a book on " truck-stop dining," funded with an advance from a publisher. The Sterns set out in their car to travel through the United States and eat up to 12 meals daily at diners and local cafes. The resulting first edition of ''Roadfood'' was published in 1977; the most recent edition was released in 2017. In addition to their food writing, the Sterns have written books on American popular culture, including ''The New York Times'' bestselling ''Elvis World'' (1987) and ''The Encyclopaedia of Bad Taste'' (1990). In all, they have written over 30 books. They were staff writers for ''

Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by refined, even elaborate preparations and presentations of aesthetically balanced meals of several contrasting, of ...

'' magazine for 18 years, have written for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', and are now contributing editors at ''

Saveur ''Saveur'' is an online gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that publishes essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews, who was also th ...

''. They are regular guests on

American Public Media American Public Media (APM) is an American company that produces and distributes public radio programs in the United States, the second largest company of its type after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and o ...

's public radio program, ''

The Splendid Table ''The Splendid Table'' is a weekly radio program about food hosted by Francis Lam. The program began in 1997 on Minnesota Public Radio, and was originally hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper until her retirement in 2017. It is produced and distribu ...

''. They have won numerous awards, including

James Beard award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

s, and were inducted into Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America in 1992. The Sterns founde
Roadfood.com
the site was sold to Fexy Media in 2016. After the sale, the Sterns remained in charge of editorial content of their website. In 2003, Jane Stern published ''Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT'', a memoir in which she described suffering from severe

clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...

when she was in her early 50s and overcame her depression by training and working as an

emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics a ...

in Connecticut. In 2005 the book was made into a

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, '' Ambulance Girl'', for which actress

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

was nominated for an Emmy Award. The Sterns wrote a joint memoir, ''Two for the Road: Our Love Affair With American Food'', in 2006. The couple divorced in 2008; they still write as a team.Nanci G. Hutson
Local 'Roadfood' authors' divorce does not end eating partnership
''News-Times'' (Danbury, CT), Friday, July 3, 2009 She now lives in

Ridgefield, Connecticut Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 25,033 at the 2020 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough ...

; he and his present wife, Linda, reside in

Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the S ...

. In 2011 the former couple published ''The Lexicon of Real American Food'', and Jane Stern published a book on her little known but long-standing career as a

tarot card reader Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future. They formulate a question, then draw cards to interpret them for this end. A traditional tarot deck con ...

Bibliography

*''Trucker: A Portrait of the Last American Cowboy'' (1975, Jane Stern only) *''

'' (1977, eighth ed. 2011) *''Amazing America'' (1978) *''Auto Ads'' (1978) *''

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left for ...

'' (1978, Michael Stern only) *''Horror Holiday'' (1981) *''Goodfood'' (1983) *''Square Meals'' (1985) (cookbook) *''Real American Food'' (1986) *''Elvis World'' (1987) *''A Taste of America'' (1988) *''The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste'' (1990) *''Sixties People'' (1990) *''American Gourmet'' (1991) *''Jane & Michael Stern's Encyclopedia of Pop Culture'' (1992) *''Way Out West'' (1993) *''Eat Your Way Across the USA'' (1997) *''Dog Eat Dog: A Very Human Book About Dogs and Dog Shows'' (1998) *''Two Puppies'' (1998) *''Chili Nation'' (1999) *''Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs: The Heart And Soul Of America's Great Roadside Restaurants'' (2001) *''The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook: Discover Why the Best Small-Town Restaurant in the South is in Social Circle, Georgia'' (2002)(cookbook) *''The Durgin-Park Cookbook'' (2002) (cookbook) *''The Harry Caray's Restaurant Cookbook: The Official Home Plate of the Chicago Cubs'' (2003) (cookbook) *''Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT'' (2003, Jane Stern only) *''Elegant Comfort Food from Dorset Inn: Traditional Cooking from Vermont's Oldest Continuously Operating Inn'' (2005, with Sissy Hicks) (cookbook) *''Two for the Road: Our Love Affair With American Food'' (2006) *''Roadfood Sandwiches: Recipes and Lore from Our Favorite Shops Coast to Coast'' (2007) (cookbook) *''500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late: and the Very Best Places to Eat Them'' (2009) *''The Lexicon of Real American Food'' (2011) *''Confessions of a Tarot Reader: Practical Advice From This Realm and Beyond'' (2011, Jane Stern only)

References

External links

Official site: Roadfood.com Epicurious.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Jane Living people 1946 births American food writers American memoirists American travel writers Writers from Connecticut People from Ridgefield, Connecticut Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Yale University alumni Wesleyan University faculty University of Michigan alumni Married couples James Beard Foundation Award winners Walden School (New York City) alumni