The former restaurant critic and food editor is joining a team of chefs and writers to expand the cooking content of the platform.

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Ruth Reichl works in food journalism in almost every form imaginable. She went from being a restaurant commentator in California Weekly to a similar position in The New York Times. She served as the top editor of Gourmet magazine, wrote memoirs, produced TV shows, and served as an editorial consultant for Gilt Taste, a company that sells luxury goods.

Now, she is jumping into direct-to-consumer newsletters as part of a new initiative by the digital newsletter platform Substack to delve into food writing.

As a resident writer, Ms. Reichl promised to produce a free daily newsletter for one month. She said that if the project is successful and she likes the process, she will start writing newsletters that require subscription.

Ms. Reichl has joined a series of food writers who will make their debut on December 1 as part of what the platform calls "Substack Food".

Food is the second professional theme adopted by the company, composed of carefully selected writers. The first is the comic book announced last summer, which contains a newsletter of a group of creators selected by comic book writer Nick Spencer.

Substack is already the home of several food writers-some charge subscription fees, others write free newsletters. Hamish McKenzie, the founder of Substack, said: "Food writers are having a great time, and they are flourishing, and we want to see more." Big."

This new group was formed by writer and bar owner Dan Stone, who worked as a writer for Substack. Authors include famous personalities such as TV personality Andrew Zimmern and chef Andy Ricker, who will write at home in Thailand, and lesser-known chefs such as the former kitchen manager of BuzzFeed Alexis deBoschnek. Produce newsletters from her farm in the Catskill Mountains.

For writers like Mr. Zimmern who charge $6 a month or $50 a year, this attraction is establishing a more direct connection with his readers through recipes and travel tips, and there is room for in-depth research on today’s topics and the world. problem.

"This is the printed version of the driving time radio," said Mr. Zimmern, who has hosted such shows.

The author of Substack makes money in one of two ways: Either give Substack 10% of the subscription revenue, or agree to sign a one-year contract with a negotiated amount that allows Substack to retain 85% of the subscription revenue. (Anyone can make a free newsletter on the platform.)

You can make a lot of money on Substack. The top 10 authors, including journalist Andrew Sullivan, historian Heather Cox Richardson, and podcaster and author Matthew C. Taibbi, have a combined annual income of more than $20 million.

Ms. Reichl’s newsletter will contain short articles, restaurant reviews and gift guides. She will use her restaurant menu and article archives (from the days before the news is digitized) to produce what is essentially a small daily newspaper, edited by radio host and recipe editor Francis Lin.

"People are very interested in food now, and most of the things that are available are very focused on recipes," Ms. Reichel said. "There are not many places that provide thoughtful food reports. Food is more than just recipes and restaurant reviews. This is a very important part of culture."

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