Hannah Selinger
Hannah Selinger is an American author and columnist, known primarily for her writing on food, wine, and the restaurant industry. She published a memoir, Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly, in 2025.
Career
[edit]Hannah Selinger started her career in the restaurant industry in the early 2000s, working as a server and sommelier in New York City establishments such as Jean-Georges and Momofuku. She began her writing career in the late 2000s to early 2010s, following her transition from the restaurant industry.[1][2]
Her essay “In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Fear and Love” was featured in the 2022 Best American Food Writing anthology. She was a finalist for the 2022 James Beard MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award.[3][4]
In 2025, Selinger published her debut memoir, Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly, through Little, Brown and Company. The memoir details her experiences in the fine-dining industry.[1][5][6]
With over 15 years in journalism, Selinger has contributed to esteemed publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure,[7] Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal,[8] Bon Appétit[9], CNN,[10] The Independent,[11] HuffPost,[12] and Al Jazeera,[13] among many others.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Eber, Hailey (2025-03-26). "Momofuku somm reveals what it was really like to work for David Chang and wait on Gwyneth Paltrow". New York Post. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ Wells, Pete (2021-01-05). "From Toxic Chefs to Covid, Restaurant Workers Deserve Better". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ "Hannah Selinger Talks 'Toxicity and Trauma' of the Restaurant Industry in Upcoming Memoir (Exclusive)". People.com. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ "April 29, 2025 - Hannah Selinger, Eephus, and Rock to Baroque: Four Decades of Music Photography". GBH. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ Makalintal, Bettina (2025-03-24). "In 'Cellar Rat,' A Sommelier's 'Righteous Indignation' About the Restaurant Industry". Eater. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ "The restaurant industry tore her down. In her memoir, she ..." Washington Post. 2025-04-04.
- ^ "The High-end Hotel Amenity That's Worth Shelling Out for This Year". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ "Hannah Selinger". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ Selinger, Hannah (2021-07-02). "In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Fear and Love". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ Selinger, Hannah (2020-07-03). "How the hot dog became an American icon". CNN. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ Selinger, Hannah (August 12, 2019). "Trump-loving in-laws went viral – then I got a rude awakening from the right-wing media". The Independen.
- ^ "It Might Be Time To Cut My Right-Wing, Trump-Loving In-Laws Out Of My Kids' Lives". HuffPost. 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ Selinger, Hannah. "How we remember them: The friend who died too young". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- Living people
- 21st-century American journalists
- 21st-century American memoirists
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American women journalists
- 21st-century American women writers
- American columnists
- American online journalists
- American restaurant critics
- American women columnists
- American women food writers
- American women memoirists
- The New York Times columnists
- HuffPost writers and columnists
- Women food writers