My Place at the Table: A Recipe for a Delicious Life in Paris

Most people would be daunted by the prospect of taking a job as a men’s fashion editor at the Paris office of Women’s Wear Daily, while knowing only a smattering of French and even less about fashion. Not Lobrano, who made it work and eventually pivoted to his area of interest: fine dining. This memoir covers his 35 years in France; after WWD, he became a freelance writer, then a restaurant critic, food writer, and editor at numerous publications (including the French edition of Gourmet magazine in its final decade of publication). Between highlights from Lobrano’s career (an interview with Giorgio Armani; dinner with Julia Child), his memoir recounts growing up in Connecticut as a solitary, white, gay child who was fascinated with food. The memoir’s highlights are Lobrano’s graceful writing, deliciously detailed memories of meals and restaurants, and recollections about friends, colleagues, and chefs.