Characters of the Village
Kathleen Squires, Journalist
By Brian and Joy Pape
KATHLEEN SQUIRES, above. Photo by Ronnie Rodriguez.
After decades as an award-winning freelance food and travel writer, Kathleen Squires, 58, has recently joined The New York Times as a staff writer for Wirecutter, where she is covering all things kitchen and food. Kathleen is a columnist for the The Wall Street Journal and her work also appears in Los Angeles Times, Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, and Conde Nast Traveler, among many other publications. She has also co-authored numerous cookbooks, including the IACP-winning, James Beard Award-nominee The Book of Greens. She is currently at work on a film about the iconic SoHo restaurant Raoul’s, to be released in 2025.
Kathleen and her husband, Ronnie Rodriguez, operate the private dining venue Chef’s Dinner Table in Little Italy, out of which she runs a popular literary salon, “Read the Room.”
Ronnie, a former banker, opened Chef’s Dinner Table on Mulberry Street just prior to the pandemic lockdown in 2019. It turned out that a private dining experience was much preferred for family get-togethers, so they were able to survive during Covid once things opened up.
Previous to her freelance career, Kathleen was a book editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell and Macmillan Publishing. Kathleen is also the co-producer of the award-winning documentary film James Beard: America’s First Foodie, made for PBS’s American Masters and which was nominated for an Emmy.
What is important for THE community to know about you?
I’m a die-hard Villager and I plan to spend the rest of my life in this wonderful community. From the time I moved to Manhattan, I’ve strived to make it to the Village because of its history as a haven for artists of all kinds. So many great writers have called Greenwich Village home! My first year here I lived on the Upper East Side, then I moved to Gramercy, then the East Village in 1990 with Ronnie. We finally made it to the West Village 30 years ago and have been living on Barrow Street ever since.
Where were you brought up?
I was born and raised in Wayne, NJ. I went to college in Easton, Pennsylvania then moved to Manhattan 35 years ago. I have been drawn to the Village ever since I was a teenager. My friends and I would park on the Christopher Street pier (Pier 45), just across West Street from where I live today. We’d shop on Eighth Street and frequent places like the Bebop Café, The Bitter End and Washington Square Park.
I met my husband in 1989 one day as I was walking through Central Park on my way to meet my roommate. I stopped to watch a group playing music, having refreshments, and playing Frisbee in Sheep’s Meadow. When I got up to leave, one of the guys came over and asked “Where are you going?” It turns out it was Ronnie, who was a friend of one of my co-workers. He later invited Ronnie to join us for a “happy-hour” get-together. That’s what sparked our relationship.
What is your relationship with the Village?
I have been active in the community since I moved here. I took piano lessons at Greenwich House Music School; I’m a member of the Bedford Barrow Commerce Block Association and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation; I’m a board member of my condominium.
I love that there are any number of locals living in the Village who are leaders in the food industry. Some have restaurants, some write about cuisine, some provide food for the industry. That community makes it feel like a small town in this big city, once you get to know people.
What was your pandemic experience?
Terrifying, but I am so grateful to have the best neighbors. We bonded together, fed each other, met out on our terraces for the 7 o’clock “clap” for health workers each evening, and just generally looked out for one another.
What is different now?
I’m no longer anxious going to the grocery store and relieved that Covid is no longer claiming so many lives.
Tell us about your work.
Researching, constantly learning, dining out and traveling! Thanks to my husband’s Puerto Rican roots, we have deeply explored the cuisine and culture there. I’ve written about their cuisine when media wasn’t paying attention to it. Now, it’s the Caribbean capital of cuisine. We go down for visits about three or four times a year. We’ve had assignments that took us to Mont Blanc in the European Alps, Tokyo, Japan, Buenos Aires, and many other places.
What’s your least favorite thing about work?
When deadlines come all at once.
Tell us about your passion.
I’m passionate about my work and am a bit of a perfectionist. I’m passionate about theater, music, literature, cooking, dining out and New York City in general. I’m passionate about travel and exploring places via their cuisine.
What is your best memory?
Too many to list! Perhaps my wedding day.
What is your favorite accomplishment?
Becoming a published writer and “making it” in New York City.
Learn even more about Kathleen at:
Follow her on Instagram @KSquiresNYC
