James Oseland

James Oseland (born February 9, 1963 in Mountain View, California) is an American food writer and magazine editor who lives part-time in Manhattan and part-time in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Rodale's Organic Life. Previously he was the Editor-in-Chief of Saveur. Before Saveur, Oseland wrote for Food & Wine, Gourmet, and Time Out New York. He has also worked as an editor at Vogue, Organic Style, L.A. Weekly, TV Guide, Vibe, Sassy, American Theatre, The Village Voice and Mademoiselle.

Oseland has written a book, Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, that was influenced by his experiences in Southeast Asia and is currently writing Jimmy Neurosis, a memoir of his punk rock youth in the 1970s, for Ecco Press, a Harper Collins imprint.

History

After dropping out of high school, Oseland earned a BFA and an MFA in photography and film studies from the San Francisco Art Institute. He worked in development in Hollywood before deciding "the idea of growing old in the business just didn't sit all that well". He went on to become an editor at Vogue, Organic Style, L.A. Weekly, TV Guide, Vibe, Sassy, American American Theatre, The Village Voice and Mademoiselle before becoming editor-in-chief of Saveur and later Rodale's Organic Life.

Saveur Magazine

James Oseland was the editor-in-chief of Saveur Magazine until 2014. Under his editorship, the magazine won more than 40 awards, including numerous James Beard journalism awards, and three from the American Society of Magazine Editors.

Books

Oseland's best-known book is Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. This book, published by W.W. Norton in 2006, is a memoir with recipes about his time living in Southeast Asia, and was named one of the best books of the year by Time Asia, The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Good Morning America, and others.

He is the also the editor of Saveur’s cookbooks, including Saveur: The New Classics, published in 2014; Saveur: The New Comfort Food, published in 2011; and The Way We Cook. He is on the board of the directors of the American Society of Magazine Editors and is the editor of the Lonely Planet writing anthology A Fork In the Road. He is writing Jimmy Neurosis, a memoir of his punk rock youth in the 1970s, for Ecco Press, a Harper Collins imprint.

Television and radio

Oseland has appeared on the television programs Iron Chef America and the Today Show. He is a regular guest on KCRW's Good Food and American Public Radio's The Splendid Table.

He is a judge on Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters. The show is a spin-off of Bravo TV's Top Chef.

Personal life

Born in Mountain View, California, in 1963, James Oseland has lived in India and Indonesia. He traveled extensively in Southeast Asia. Since his first visit to Jakarta in 1982, he has returned to the region many times to collect recipes from local restaurants and home cooks.

Oseland lives part time in New York City and part time in eastern Pennsylvania. Oseland is openly gay and a strong proponent of legalizing gay marriage.