Barbara Hansen, Pioneering Food Writer

Barbara Hansen, an esteemed James Beard Award winner, and pioneering food writer, passed away in January 2023. Renowned for her extensive food writing at the LA Times, Hansen made significant contributions to recognizing international cuisines in Los Angeles. Throughout her four-decade tenure at the LA Times, she was a vibrant voice, dissecting the nuances of diverse culinary traditions brought to the city by various immigrant communities. Her work lives on through her insightful articles and social media presence, where she continued to share her passion for food until her final days at the age of 90.

Mexican Tile Cookies https://thecookscook.com/features/mexican-tile-cookies/ Called azulejos (the Spanish word for tiles), the cookies are imprinted with a design inspired by the talavera ceramics of Puebla, Mexico.

LA EATER’s obituary honored her as a “Legendary Chronicler and Champion of LA’s Diverse Cuisines” and celebrated Hansen for her detailed reporting which captured the culinary contributions of Thais, Armenians, Koreans, Indians, Oaxacans, and Salvadorans to Los Angeles, saying,

“Hansen’s precise, deep reporting documented waves of immigration to Los Angeles: Thais, Armenians, Koreans, Indians, Oaxacans, and Salvadorans, whose cuisines she embraced.”

Her influence extended beyond local food circles.

“Outside of local food writers, Hansen’s pioneering work was often overlooked. For many, that sense of wonder and seeking out new foods began with Hansen. Other more famous writers may have amplified those traits, but they all got it from Hansen, an ambassador of everything.”

“In LA, one of the most diverse dining cities in America, Hansen excelled in documenting its hidden cuisines and newly arrived cultures with relentless curiosity. She gave under-the-radar cooks a platform that they deserved. Hansen did this from the moment she filed her first food story in 1969 until her death. Even at the age of 90, she was in the process of pitching her next cookbook.”

In reflecting on her career, an LA Times Obituary noted her expertise in international foods from regions such as India, South America, and Mexico and her skill in crafting accessible recipes.

“Food lovers who followed Barbara’s food-writing career appreciated her rich passion for international foods from India, South America and Mexico. She was an expert in these cuisines and had a flair for writing recipes that anyone could follow.”

Hansen’s first cookbook, California Cooking Style, published in 1971, marked the beginning of her illustrious career in cookbook writing. Mexican Cookery and Taste of Southeast Asia followed this. In 2013, she ventured into writing a Korean restaurant guide for Los Angeles, commissioned by the Korean Food Foundation in Seoul, further cementing her role as an influential figure in culinary literature.

Food writer Bonnie Carroll, underscoring Hansen’s profound impact on the culinary world, memorialized the renowned journalist in Edhat.com

“No one knew Mexican food like Barbara, and her Mexican Cookbook was applauded by chefs throughout the world and in Mexico.”

“Years before California cuisine popped, she wrote her first cookbook, California Cooking Style, in 1971; her second cookbook, Mexican Cookery, was followed by Taste of Southeast Asia. In 2013, a Korean restaurant guide for Los Angeles, commissioned by the Korean Food Foundation in Seoul, was published.” 

Shortly before her passing, KCRW hosted a podcast in 2022 called Thank Barbara Hansen for putting international cuisine on Angelenos’ radar.

“California Cooking Style” by Barbara Hansen was a primer for exploring the state’s diverse cuisine. Published in 1971, the same year Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Hansen celebrated the cooking of those who call California home. Barbara Hansen has written about international food for decades in Los Angeles, contributing to the media attention brought to Korean and Mexican cuisine.”

Barbara Hansen’s legacy as a pioneer in food journalism continues to inspire and inform those passionate about the culinary arts and the stories behind them.