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For 26 years now, Tom Sietsema has been a faceless name that struck a chord throughout the entirety of the D.C. area’s food and beverage industry. While most didn’t know what the food critic for The Washington Post looked like, they certainly knew what he craved and critiqued. And whether his words were positive or not, they resonated within the region.
But this Tuesday, Sietsema announced that he is dropping his anonymity and stepping down. While he said in his announcement that he is not retiring — “I’ve got plans to cook more, travel more and stay connected with fellow food enthusiasts” — the future still remains unclear.
Several chefs and restaurateurs spoke to WTOP about how Sietsema’s reviews impacted them and what they would say if they got the chance to meet him. Many said it was Sietsema’s reviews that helped them get through the pandemic or propelled them to the executive chef positions they hold now.
Matt Conroy, executive chef at Lutèce, Pascual and Maison Bar À Vins, said that Sietsema’s review of Lutèce in particular “really catapulted the restaurant” during the pandemic when it opened.
“His reviews hold a lot of weight,” Conroy said. “I think people pay attention to him … you’re not going to trick him. … He knows what’s good.”
Kevin Tien, chef and owner of Moon Rabbit, said Sietsema’s review of his former restaurant, Himitsu, directly impacted the increase of traffic, interest in specific dishes and the diversity of diners in the restaurant.
In 2016, when Tien was 29 years old, he opened Himitsu in D.C.’s Petworth neighborhood.
“I had no business opening a restaurant, but getting a review from him really changed the trajectory of my career, and honestly, I’m forever grateful,” he said.
Daisuke Utagawa, a partner of Daikaya Group, which includes Tonari, Bantam King and Daikaya, credits Sietsema for elevating the dining scene of the D.C. area.
“He was a very integral part of Washington becoming a food town,” Utagawa said, further describing Sietsema as a “champion of the industry.”
For Jeffrey Bank, owner and CEO of the Alicart Restaurant Group, he said Sietsema was “very fair” in his 2010 review of Carmine’s.
In the review at the time, Sietsema wrote, “I am prepared not to like my feast … But I end up eating my words.”
Bank said Sietsema understood the intention of the restaurant and was “spot on” in his assessment.
“He really always got the food. He got service, but he also got I feel what the restaurant was trying to be and what it was going for,” Bank said.
Many of the chefs said if there was one thing they could tell Sietsema, it would be: “Thank you.”
Bryan Voltaggio, chef and owner of Wye Oak Tavern, said, “I would just say thank you. … He has helped put D.C. and the entire DMV on the map.”
“You’ve given opportunity to many chefs who would never otherwise have an opportunity to share their stories and their food and their culture. And you’ve helped build a path for us to be more welcomed in a dining environment that may not be so welcoming sometimes to small, young chefs or BIPOC chefs,” Tien said of Sietsema.
With Sietsema stepping down as food critic for The Washington Post, what does that mean for food criticism in the nation’s capital? The restaurant owners and chefs that WTOP spoke to said they in no way see food criticism as a dying art as a whole. It is certainly changing, though.
According to Conroy, “print is not what it was,” and “people get their news different ways now.” He said a review from trusted sources like Sietsema can change a business overnight.
“I think critics give us an honest review of a restaurant, and not ‘Everything’s the best, and you have to go there this weekend,'” Tien said.
Some aren’t so keen about food critics.
Stephen Starr, president and founder of STARR Restaurants, said, “I wish there were no food critics. … We would like the people to decide. It scares me … when a food critic comes in.”
Even so, Starr said he respects Sietsema and his work and how “fair” he always has been, saying he’s “sort of like The Godfather” or “the Yoda of the food and culinary scene.”
“I believe he is an iconic reviewer in the food industry,” Starr said. “I believe what is most admirable, other than his writing style, is the fact that I think he goes into a restaurant with reverence for what restaurants are.”
