Growing up in Taipei, CAS alum Stephanie Wu always knew she wanted to live in New York. Now, she’s helping provide restaurant recommendations to hundreds of thousands of people from the city and beyond as the editor-in-chief of Eater, one of the most influential food media brands in the country.
Eater, which has branches in more than 20 American cities, is known for its dining recommendations and news coverage of the restaurant industry. Since graduating from NYU, Wu has worked in various parts of the lifestyle journalism industry, from leading her own Asian American digital magazine to becoming the digital director at Condé Nast Traveler.
In an interview with WSN, Wu reflected on her career as a journalist, expanding Eater’s brand and her hopes for both Eater and the food journalism industry at large.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
WSN: How did your time at NYU shape your journalism career?
Wu: When I was looking for a college, my goals were to be in a city and to study journalism. There’s no better city than New York — it’s not just full of culture and life and art, but is also the beating heart of the media industry. I also studied East Asian studies, and really wanted to combine my experience of growing up abroad with the burgeoning field of Asian American studies. At that point, I thought I was going to work in magazines, which were something I really loved reading growing up. At NYU, I took on as many internships as I could and had the goal of understanding every part of how magazines are made.
As an NYU student and in the years following, Wu gained journalistic writing and business experience through internships at publications such as Teen Vogue, Esquire and The New York Times. While at NYU, she also co-founded Mochi Magazine, an Asian American-focused digital publication that she sees as a combination of her experiences, culture and studies.
WSN: What inspired you to begin writing about food, and how did this lead you to Eater?
Wu: Shortly after graduating, I had an editorial assistant job at a magazine called Town & Country. There, I was able to get to know the world of art, culture, books, fashion, food and travel — and I loved all of it. But the one thing that I kept coming back to was travel and food, an area that I felt had endless stories to be told. Since then, my work has been focused a bit more on the travel and food world. When I got to Eater, what I found most interesting was that it was among the first digital publications to take the restaurant industry seriously and cover it the way you would cover any other industry. I jumped at the chance to see how the publication functions — I have an inherent curiosity for understanding the behind-the-scenes of things.
Wu joined Eater as the editor-in-chief in 2022, and since, has sought to expand its projects beyond their typical coverage. Eater recently published a list of the staff’s favorite food cities and restaurants around the world, and its first cookbook. Last October, the company launched an app to provide users with local Eater-approved dining spots.
WSN: What was the inspiration behind Eater’s new app?
Wu: With each product, we have to make sure we’re not just slapping the Eater name on things that we don’t feel editorially connected to. That’s really important, because the Eater team is responsible for the storytelling behind each of these products. For so long, we wanted to give our readers an easier way to access our maps on the go and help them find great restaurant recommendations. At the heart of it, it’s an extension of Eater’s authority. That’s something I take seriously — the way we recommend restaurants that we stand behind and have a relationship with our audience.
Going forward, Wu said she aims to keep Eater at the forefront of food media. She said that although the journalism industry is struggling, the scope of food media is rapidly growing, and hopes that Eater’s coverage inspires consumers to think critically about their food habits.
WSN: What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as editor-in-chief of a nationwide publication?
Wu: These days, the role of an editor-in-chief isn’t just about the writing. It’s been a long time since an editor-in-chief was solely focused on words on a page. You have to figure out when it makes sense to expand your brand, but you also have to figure out what to say no to. People management and overseeing a big team is a huge part of what I do. Even while I’m in the midst of running a publication day-to-day, I still think a lot about all of the challenges that face the media industry, not just from a business point of view, but also from a political point of view. That’s something I always have at the top of my mind.
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