Nilou Motamed facts for kids

Nilou Motamed was born in Iran on April 19, 1971. She is a well-known American magazine editor. She is also a familiar face on TV. You might know her as a judge on the cooking show Iron Chef. She used to be the main editor for Food & Wine magazine. She also led the digital food site Epicurious.

Early Life and Education

Nilou Motamed was born in Tehran, Iran. She spent her early years there. Her family moved to Paris, France, after the Iranian Revolution. Later, they moved to New York when she was a teenager.

She went to Binghamton University in New York. She also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. She earned two degrees. These were in Political Science and Philosophy. Nilou can speak four languages fluently. These include English, French, Spanish, and Persian.

Career in Media

In 2000, Nilou Motamed started working at Travel + Leisure magazine. She began as an Associate Editor. Soon, she became the Food Editor. Eventually, she became the Features Director. She also worked as a Senior Correspondent.

For 14 years, Nilou led the magazine's food and restaurant stories. She started the magazine's yearly "Food & Travel" issue. She also created the "Eat Like a Local" special. Her food stories for Travel + Leisure were nominated for eight James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in food writing.

She worked with CNN to create the "Eat Like a Local" special. This project combined print, digital, and TV content. It became a global food platform. Nilou has also hosted several TV shows. These include Reservations Required and Travel Spies on Travel Channel. She has appeared on shows like CNN, NBC's Today, and CBS This Morning.

In 2013, Nilou became the editor-in-chief of Epicurious. This is a popular digital food website by Condé Nast. In 2015, she took on a new role. She became the first Director of Inspiration for Conrad Hotels & Resorts. Here, she helped improve the guest experience. She also updated concierge programs for 24 luxury hotels worldwide. She created a special collection of local experiences called "1/3/5".

In 2016, Nilou Motamed became the head of Food & Wine magazine. She managed all the content for over 12 million readers. As editor-in-chief, she oversaw major projects. These included the annual Best New Chefs showcase. She also managed the food site FWx, which is popular with young adults.

Since 2008, Nilou has often appeared on Bravo's show Top Chef. She was a guest on the show. For Season 16, which was set in Kentucky, she became a regular judge.

Recognition and Awards

Since 2007, Nilou Motamed has been a judge for the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards. She has been featured in The New York Times. Adweek magazine also named her one of the "30 Most Influential People in Food."

Personal Life

Nilou Motamed met her husband, Peter Jon Lindberg, in 2000. He is also a magazine journalist. They both worked at Travel + Leisure magazine at the time.