He was an innovator, an experimenter, a missionary in bringing the gospel of good cooking to the home table.

FiCraig Claiborner Claiborne also enjoyed documenting his own eating experiences and the discovery of new talent and new culinary trends across the country and across the world. Among the many then-unknown chefs he brought to the public's attention was the New Orleans Lousiana chef and restaurateur Paul Prudhomme. Claiborne's reviews were exacting and uncompromising but he also approached his task as a critic with an open mind and eye for cooking that was different creative and likely to appeal to his readers.

Craig Claiborne (September 4 1920 – January 22 2000) was an American restaurant critic food journalist and book author. A long-time food editor and restaurant critic for The New York Times he was also the author of numerous cookbooks and an autobiography. Over the course of his career he made many contributions to gastronomy and food writing in the United States.