Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer-winning restaurant critic, dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jonathan Gold, who became the first restaurant critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, has died. He was 57.

The Los Angeles Times , where Gold most recently worked, reported that he died Saturday after being diagnosed earlier this month with pancreatic cancer.

Gold’s reviews first appeared in L.A. Weekly and later in The Times and Gourmet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 while at L.A. Weekly. He was a finalist again in 2011.

The Times noted Gold’s reviews focused on ethnic restaurants, which he preferred to call traditional restaurants.

Ruth Reichl, who edited Gold at The Times and at Gourmet, called him a trailblazer.

She said he “understood that food could be a power for bringing a community together, for understanding other people.”