Maura Louise Judkis is an American journalist and writer. She has received recognition as a humorist, essayist, food taster, and video presenter. Since 2011, she has written for the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' and is a general assignment reporter for the paper's style section.

Early life and education

Judkis grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, Jim Judkis, is a freelance photographer and her mother is an art professor. In 2007, she graduated from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

with a degree in journalism and a minor in art history. While in college, she wrote for the University's paper ''The Hatchet'', reviewing museums and concerts and providing cultural commentary.

Career

After college, Judkis worked for '' U.S. News & World Report'' and the since closed publication, TBD.com. Other bylines also included pieces for the ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since 1981. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial ...

'' and the

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

. She sought to cover a range of topics and fields as a way to diversity her skills and earning new assignments. While an art, theater and culture reporter for TBD.com she completed an arts journalism fellowship with the National Endowment for the Arts and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. Judkis joined the staff of the ''Washington Post'' in 2011 as a style section producer. Her goal was to cover art and culture in the city. Her initial focus with on visual arts, which she has linked to her parents' work as artists. Judkis next worked as a reporter in the Weekend section, and joined the food section in 2014. Her coverage included articles about harassment in the food industry, for which she received and dismissed criticism that food writers should only write about food. She has reviewed food documentaries, chronicled the life of figures in the DC food scene, and the arc of food institutions. In 2018, Judkis launched a series, ''Is it Good?'', in which she tastes various new foods and tests food products. The feature was released on YouTube, Snapchat, and Amazon. In 2019, it was announced that Judkis was moving within the paper, leaving the food section to become a general assignment reporter for the style section.

Recognition

Judkis won the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is an American non-profit culinary arts organization based in New York City. It was named after James Beard, a food writer, teacher, and cookbook author. Its programs include guest-chef dinners to scholarships for asp ...

award in 2017 for humor. She was nominated for her article that described the history, nuances, and cultural significance of

pumpkin spice Pumpkin pie spice, also known as pumpkin spice, is an American spice mix, originally developed for flavoring the filling of a pumpkin pie. It does not include pumpkin as an ingredient. Pumpkin pie spice is similar to the British and Commonwealth ...

, for which she collected and sampled more than 40 products featuring the distinctive fall flavor. She was again nominated in 2019, for an earlier essay, "Doritos is Developing Lady-Friendly Chips Because You Should Never Hear a Woman Crunch", about

Doritos Doritos () is an American brand of flavored tortilla chips produced by Frito-Lay, a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo. The concept for Doritos originated at Disneyland at a restaurant managed by Frito-Lay. In 1966, Doritos became the first ...

' efforts to make their product more appealing to women.

Personal life

In 2013, Judkis married Scott Gilmore, a lawyer. They have two adopted dogs - Milky, a white

Coton de Tulear The Coton de Tuléar is a breed of small dog named for the city of Tuléar (also known as Toliara) in Madagascar. This breed is thought to have originated from a group of small white dogs that swam across the Malagasy channel following a shipwreck ...

mix, and Milou. The dogs have received consultations from a specialist for their problematic behavior, an experience Judkis compared to therapy. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Judkis allowed her hair to go grey, a decision made by other women, and a change she embraced.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Judkis, Maura Year of birth missing (living people) 1980s births Living people The Washington Post people George Washington University alumni 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women writers Writers from Pittsburgh Journalists from Pittsburgh James Beard Foundation Award winners