A waitress walks into a bar . . .
​and becomes a nationally recognized food maven.

Photo John Lok/The Seattle Times

Nancy Leson is an award-winning food writer, radio personality, cooking instructor and public speaker who learned much of what she knows about food during her first career: waiting tables. Readers embraced her as the longtime restaurant critic and food columnist for The Seattle Times, where her byline appeared for nearly two decades. Today she conjures recipes and rejoinders as Food for Thought on Seattle NPR-affiliate KNKX. A popular emcee, she's also hosted international food tours for Earthbound Expeditions and teaches cooking classes at PCC Cooks throughout the Seattle area. She lives 15 miles north of the Space Needle with her husband, son and a couple of well-fed dogs.