Meet Antony Bruno, New Westword Food and Drink Editor

When Molly Martin told me she was stepping down as Westword Food and Drink editor and asked if I was interested in taking her place, I was not only humbled but more than a little intimidated. 

She is the very definition of a tough act to follow, and a class act to boot. 

While I’ve been a journalist most of my career, it wasn’t until I began working with Molly and the Westword team that I finally got the chance to write about a topic I actually cared about on a personal level. I thought writing the Eat Up Havana series over the last year, visiting every restaurant along Aurora’s Havana Street, was the opportunity of a lifetime. But I was wrong. It was merely an appetizer. 

Taking on the food beat is a big responsibility, and not one I take lightly. Restaurants are a risky business. Eating out is expensive. Working in the industry is hard. Trends shift. Technology disrupts. Climate changes. These are important issues that require serious attention, and covering them properly means doing more than just scoring a few free meals. 

I grew up a painfully picky eater. Although half Swedish on my mother’s side, I was raised among my father’s large, extended Italian family in Wisconsin, not far outside of Chicago. My grandmother was exactly the kind of Italian nonna you might imagine. She competed fiercely against a dozen or so great aunts, second cousins, and scattered in-laws at every family gathering to see whose dish inspired the most second helpings. 

I was, in short, spoiled. Few restaurants back then stood a chance against this brigade of faded flowery aprons, weathered rolling pins, and cracked wooden spoons. By comparison, most other food was either subpar or unfamiliar. So my diet consisted nearly entirely of different iterations of pasta and red sauce, with a supporting lineup of pizza, burgers, and seemingly endless peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

Pretty normal for a child of the ’70s. But embarrassingly, this lasted until I was nearly thirty. It was a trip to Japan in the late ’90s that changed everything. Given the cost, I resolved to try at least a bite of everything set before me in order to maximize the experience. The result was an avalanche of firsts. Sushi. Ramen. Sea urchin. Raw snails. Cuttlefish and natto (the less said about these two, the better). I ate it all…and much more. The experience was mindblowing. 

I realized I had been denying myself one of life’s greatest pleasures. It was like I’d been living in black and white all my life, and the world suddenly turned color. It was my culinary equivalent of Helen Keller at the water fountain. I finally had a taste of what the broader food world had to offer, and all I wanted was more.

That was nearly 25 years ago. And to this day, I haven’t stopped seeking out more new flavors, more culinary experiences, more cooking knowledge. Over the years, I’ve evolved from a curious eater to a passionate cook… initially pausing Food Network shows while attempting whatever Iron Chef dish inspired me at the time to later earning a culinary certificate at Denver’s Cook Street School of Culinary Arts. 

So I’m excited about the road that lies ahead. At its best, food is one of the most effective forms of storytelling there is. Done right, a meal served to others tells a story about the person who made it. Who they are. Where they’re from. What’s important to them. Family. History. Culture. Personality. It’s all there in every bite, from the simplest roadside taco to the most extravagant fusion tasting menu. 

That’s far more interesting than a quick photo shared to social media like some sort of digital affectation. Eating can be one of the most joyous and transcendent moments we get in our short, harried lives. And every day holds the opportunity to experience it all over again.

So while we’re not exactly saving the world, maybe each story we publish can save a little part of your day.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some pasta to eat.