Bureau Chief

The Food Section, a feisty newsletter considered one of the preeminent sources of rigorous food journalism from and about the American South, is seeking tough and inquisitive reporters to chronicle the dynamic food scenes in their hometowns.

The publication

Founded with the support of a Substack grant to advance local journalism in underserved places, The Food Section was launched in September 2021 with the aim of making up for the dearth of serious food coverage across the Southeast.

Since its debut, the twice-weekly newsletter has been recognized by the Online News Association, Arthur. L. Carter Journalism Institute, and the Society for Features Journalism as one of the best newsletters—about food or otherwise—in the country. In 2023, it beat out Bon Appetit and Garden & Gun for a James Beard Foundation Award, one of two Beards for which it was nominated.

Now, The Food Section is expanding its reach by contracting city-based correspondents in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, northern Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The position

Each city-based correspondent will be tasked with publishing two newsletters per month under The Food Section banner, bringing their readers up to speed on local culinary happenings and putting the news in context, as well as cultivating a base of paid subscribers through high-quality coverage. By engaging their audience with smart, entertaining, and honest writing, this freelance correspondent will emerge as the city’s most trusted voice on all things food and beverage.

Additionally, correspondents will have the opportunity to work closely with experienced editors on longform features for The Food Section, producing pieces that reveal and probe societal values, harmful inequities, local power dynamics, and cultural trends.

The perks

This assignment is custom-made for talented writers who have considered creating their own publications, but don’t want to fuss with the intricacies of starting a business, dealing with tech, or peddling an unknown website.

As a bureau chief for The Food Section, you’ll have immediate access to the newsletter’s influential and sizable readership. Moreover, The Food Section will promote your work, and handle everything required to put your words and images in subscribers’ inboxes.

The pay is $200 a month, plus 60 percent of all subscription revenue generated by your newsletter. For example, if The Food Section: Memphis in its first month builds an audience of 412 paying readers, you would receive $1,436 for the two newsletters you authored--and would continue at that same pay rate until the publication acquired more paid subscribers.

Correspondents will also get first crack at The Food Section’s monthly freelance slot, valued at $1,000.