Westword Hires Cafe Society Critic: Gretchen Kurtz

Westword has been shopping for a new restaurant critic since Laura Shunk announced her departure for New York City back in May, and today the search for the right critic is officially over. Gretchen Kurtz, former restaurant critic for Denver Magazine and contributor at 5280 and The Denver Post, is now the mystery face to obsess about before service. Here's more reasons why Kurtz scored the gig, according to Westword editor Patricia Calhoun:

Kurtz isn't just comfortable at the keyboard. She knows her way around the kitchen, having logged thousands of hours developing and testing recipes, not to mention cooking for pleasure. She received culinary training at New York's Institute of Culinary Education and with chef/cookbook author Sara Foster. She's also a veteran blogger, having started SeedtoSpoon.com, a healthy-lifestyle blog devoted to cooking with local and seasonal ingredients.

Look for Kurtz's first review on September 6th.

· Westword Has New Cafe Critic [Westword]