John Kessler is the dining editor and writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A graduate of L’Academie de Cuisine culinary school near Washington, he worked for several years as a restaurant cook and chef before becoming a critic.
His writing has received awards from the James Beard Foundation and the Association of Food Journalists as well as the National Headliner Award. His essays, columns and food features have been anthologized 10 times in “Best Food Writing.”
Recently, he passed first-level certification by the Court of Master Sommeliers, but he still occasionally buys wine at Kroger.
Kessler lives in Decatur with his wife and the youngest of his three daughters, who tends to grill every waiter, “Portlandia”-style, about the restaurant’s commitment to animal welfare.
Jenny Turknett, an Atlanta native, joined the AJC dining team in 2010 and now serves as its lead restaurant critic. She writes starred reviews on new restaurants and revisits established ones to keep them on point.
Turknett also created recipes for the book “The Migraine Miracle,” which she co-authored with her husband, Josh. They live in Roswell with two small finicky eaters, two cats and an ever-expanding collection of kitchen gadgets.
