Alison Roman
Birth dateSeptember 1, 1985 (age 41)
Birth placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
SpouseMax Cantor (m. 2023)
Years active2011–present
Websitewww.alisoneroman.com

Alison E. Roman (born September 1, 1985) is an American food writer, chef, and internet personality. She is best known for her viral recipes, such as #TheStew and #TheCookies, which were widely shared on social media platforms.[1][2][3] Roman has held senior positions at Bon Appétit and Buzzfeed Food, and served as a columnist for New York Times Cooking.[4][5] Roman is the author of several cookbooks, including the New York Times Bestseller Nothing Fancy (2019).[6]

Early life and education

Roman was born September 1, 1985, and raised in Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley area.[7][8] She withdrew from the University of California, Santa Cruz, at the age of 19, where she was studying creative writing, to pursue a career in the food industry,[1][7][9] eventually working as a chef at Sona in Los Angeles, Quince in San Francisco, Milk Bar in New York City and Pies ‘n’ Thighs in Brooklyn.[1][8][9][10]

Career

Bon Appétit and early career (2011–2018)

Roman began as a freelance recipe-tester at Bon Appétit in 2011 soon after the magazine had come under the leadership of editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport.[7][9][11][12] She quickly gained a full-time position at the magazine and eventually became a senior food editor.[4][9][11] Roman appeared prominently in the magazine's videos, articles and social media content.[4][11] Roman left Bon Appétit in 2015 for a senior role at Buzzfeed Food.[4] Her first cookbook, Dining In, was published by Penguin Random House in 2017.[8]

The New York Times, viral recipes and controversy (2018–2020)

In early 2018, a cookie recipe Roman developed for Dining In (2017) went viral on Instagram, and became so well-known on the mobile app as to be known simply as #TheCookies.[13] Months later she joined New York Times Cooking as a regular columnist.[5] Her second cookbook, Nothing Fancy (2019), enjoyed commercial and critical success when it was published the following year.[6][14][15] The cookbook stresses the value of "unfussy" ingredients and the importance of authenticity when hosting friends and guests.[16][17] Several of the recipes she developed for the book and The New York Times went viral, including the #TheStew.[1][2][3][18]

Roman's recipes and online presence took off during the COVID-19 pandemic as more people turned to home cooking.[19][20][21] Her shallot pasta recipe (commonly known as #ThePasta), was particularly popular amidst the food shortages and constraints of the pandemic due to its use of everyday, pantry ingredients.[18] New York Times Cooking later deemed it the most popular recipe of 2020.[22] In May 2020, Roman was criticized on social media for an interview in which she made critical remarks about the product lines of Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo, both of whom are of Asian descent. Critics claimed these remarks had racial undertones[23] and pointed to her past practice of using Asian flavors in her recipes without acknowledging the sources of these flavors.[24] After Teigen responded on Twitter and then locked her own account, Roman apologized.[24] During this time, Roman's New York Times column was put on temporary leave, with the intention to be reintroduced at some point in the future.[25][26]

Departure and continued career (2020–present)

In December 2020, Roman announced she would be leaving The New York Times to begin a "new chapter" elsewhere.[27] Starting in 2021, she produced a series Home Movies with Alison Roman, a cooking show, on her YouTube channel. She was set to produce a new cooking program for CNN+ in 2022.[28] After shutdown of CNN+, the show was moved to CNN as (More Than) A Cooking Show but then pulled.[29] She filmed two seasons and is seeking a new outlet for distributing the series.[30] In 2023, she opened a small market called First Bloom in the Catskills in Bloomville, New York.[31] In 2025 she launched her own tomato sauce, A Very Good Tomato Sauce. [32]

Personal life

Roman has lived in Brooklyn, New York, since at least 2018.[33] She describes herself as "half-Jewish" and regularly celebrates Passover and other religious holidays since moving to New York.[34] She married producer Max Cantor on September 9, 2023.[35] On their first anniversary, Roman announced the couple was expecting their first child via her Instagram page. On January 23, 2025, Roman posted a photo of newborn son Charlie Davis Roman Cantor, noting that he had been born "almost a month early".

Bibliography

  • Lemons. Short Stack Books, 2015. ISBN 9780990785323
  • Dining In. Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2017. ISBN 9780451496997
  • With Fabián von Hauske and Jeremiah Stone, A Very Serious Cookbook: Contra Wildair. Phaidon Press, 2018. ISBN 9780714876023
  • Nothing Fancy. Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2019. ISBN 9780451497017
  • Sweet Enough: A Dessert Cookbook. Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2023. ISBN 9781984826398
  • Something from Nothing. Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2025. ISBN 9781984826411

References

  1. ^ Gagne, Yasme (April 29, 2020). "How Alison Roman cooks up viral recipes, from #TheCookies to #TheStew". Fast Company. Mansueto Ventures, LLC. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  2. ^ Reynolds, Megan (October 22, 2019). "Alison Roman Is More Than #TheStew". Jezebel. G/O Media Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  3. ^ Gould, Emily (May 23, 2019). "Alison Roman Gives Instagram Food Trends A Good Name". Elle. Hearst Magazine Media. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Senior Food Editor Alison Roman Is Leaving, but At Least These Videos Are Forever". Bon Appétit. August 21, 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  5. ^ Sifton, Sam (2018-07-11). "Alison Roman! Alison Roman! (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  6. ^ "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers". New York Times. December 22, 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Alison Roman". www.prior.club. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  8. ^ "Alison Roman – About the Author". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Alison Roman, Writer & Cook". Into the Gloss. Glossier Inc. November 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Alison Roman Is Reportedly Pivoting (Back) to Restaurants - nofilter by influence.co". influence.co. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
  11. ^ Vogt, PJ (2021-02-04). "The Test Kitchen, Chapter 1". Reply All. Gimlet Media. pp. 22:27. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  12. ^ Moskin, Julia (2010-11-02). "A New Flavor for Bon Appétit (Published 2010)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  13. ^ Aggeler, Madeleine (2018-03-02). "How I Ruined Instagram's Favorite Cookie". The Cut. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  14. ^ "Best cookbooks and food writing of 2019". the Guardian. 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  15. ^ "Alison Roman's "Nothing Fancy" and the Art of the Unpretentious Dinner Party". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  16. ^ Grechko, Irina. "Alison Roman's New Book Sings The Praises Of "Unfussy" Food". Nylon. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  17. ^ Chittal, Nisha (2019-10-14). "The dinner party isn't dead. It just looks different today.". Vox. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  18. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (2020-04-22). "How Alison Roman became the reluctant, pasta-loving "prom queen of the pandemic"". Vox. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  19. ^ Fischer, Molly (2020-03-24). "Just Give In to Alison Roman". The Cut. Vox Media. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  20. ^ O'Connell, Michael (2020-04-09). "How Alison Roman Became the Face of Home Cooking, Apocalypse Notwithstanding". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  21. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (2020-04-24). "Recipe queen Alison Roman's popularity, explained by Alison Roman". Vox. Vox Media. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  22. ^ Chambrot, Krysten (2020-12-16). "NYT Cooking's 20 Most Popular Recipes of 2020". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  23. ^ Carman, Tim (11 May 2020). "The Chrissy Teigen-Alison Roman debacle underscores the fundamental flaws of food media". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  24. ^ "What Exactly Is Going on Between Chrissy Teigen and Alison Roman on Twitter?". Eater. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  25. ^ Tani, Maxwell (2020-05-19). "Alison Roman's NY Times Column 'On Temporary Leave' After Chrissy Teigen Feud". Daily Beast. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  26. ^ Vanderhoof, Erin (2020-05-26). "Alison Roman Is Back and Seemingly Charting a New Course". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  27. ^ Zhang, Jenny G. (2020-12-17). "After Months-Long Hiatus, Cookbook Author Alison Roman Officially Departs From the New York Times". Eater. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  28. ^ "Alison Roman Comes to CNN+". Archived from the original on January 6, 2022.
  29. ^ "CNN Releases First Look and Announces New CNN Original Series "(More Than) A Cooking Show" with Alison Roman to Debut on CNN This Fall". CNN. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Alison Roman's CNN Show Isn't Happening Anymore". Time
  31. ^ "Alison Roman Is Opening a Shop Upstate Next Month". Eater
  32. ^ "Introducing: A Very Good Sauce". Alison Roman. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  33. ^ Weinberg, Sarah (2019-11-10). "Chef Alison Roman's Brooklyn Kitchen Is Just As Cool As You Imagined It". Delish. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  34. ^ Roman, Alison (2020-03-31). "Alison Roman's Passover Menu". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  35. ^ "Alison Roman Got Married at a Classic New York City Steakhouse, Then Rode a Double-Decker Bus". People