Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl grew up in New York City and attended public schools during the dread Ronald Reagan "ketchup is a vegetable" years. Fearful that mustard would soon be declared a meat, she quickly learned to be over articulate about food. She has been the food and wine critic for City Pages, the Village Voice Paper of Minneapolis and St. Paul, since 1997, and has contributed to Gourmet, USA Today, Wine & Spirits, and other publications. Nominated seven times for James Beard awards, she has won twice.