Orlando Sentinel Food Editor Dorothy Chapman
As I was researching Orlando food editor Grace Barr, I came across Dorothy Chapman. She had been the women’s page editor at the Orlando Sentinel when Barr was the food editor. When Barr retired in 1969, Chapman became the food editor.
In 1971, Chapman became the first restaurant editor at the newspaper.
She wrote several cookbooks based on her column, “Thought You’d Never Ask.”
According to her obituary:
“As the Orlando Sentinel’s first restaurant critic, Chapman wielded her pen and fork with a civil tongue. “We [chefs] gave her a lot of respect because she gave us a lot of respect,” said longtime Orlando restaurateur Major Jarman. “She was fair. Everyone took her comments as constructive criticism and learned from them.”
Chef Johnny Rivers agrees. “I think Dorothy was more than just a food editor,” Rivers said. “She was a mentor to many of us and raised the bar of expectation in Central Florida.”
