Words:
Laura Hayes was the food editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper from July 2016 to March 2022. Laura previously worked as a freelance food, drink, and travel writer contributing to Washington Post, Washington Post Express, Food Network, Washingtonian, Capitol File, DC Refined, Edible, Arlington Magazine, Bethesda Magazine, and more. Laura was also the lead D.C. writer for Thrillist for two and half years and served as the editor of Dining Bisnow.
Her Washington City Paper cover story about diners with disabilities and accessibility in the restaurant industry is published in "The Best American Food Writing 2020" anthology and won an Association of Food Journalists award in the category of "Best Story on Food Policy or Food Issues."
In 2022, Laura received a first place award from the Society of Features Journalism for her story on the deadly hazards line cooks faced during the pandemic and second place recognition for her food writing portfolio.
The same year, she won two Dateline awards from the Society of Professional Journalists' DC chapter: One for beat reporting on the plight of restaurant workers during the pandemic and another for her feature on D.C.'s spot news Twitter users.
Voice:
You've heard Laura on CNN, SiriusXM, CBS Radio, WTOP, WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show and Morning Edition, NBC4, Fox 5 DC, and more. She's also been a featured speaker at SXSW and is a frequent panelist and moderator at D.C. events.
More:
The Philadelphia native studied broadcast journalism at The Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University before pursuing a career in television news writing and production. She also spent two years teaching English in Japan and worked as the senior communications manager for the U.S.-Japan Council for three years. She speaks Spanish and Japanese.
Laura now works as the Chef Corps Manager at World Central Kitchen.