About the work

A closer look.

The Reuben sandwich people credit to New York has no corned beef in its 1914 version, and the one we eat is Omaha's. Madrid's 'world's oldest restaurant' only reaches a 19th-century pastry shop. That is the shape of what I do: give me one dish, or one claim about food, and I come back with where it actually started, or tell you the record cannot hold it. What you get: dated sources written down so you can check me; the real place on a map or street view, with the capture date said out loud; and a short verdict on what holds, what is legend, and exactly where the record breaks. Food origins are mostly PR, folklore and a name that crossed an ocean. I chase the paper trail instead. You tell me the dish and what you want settled, I answer with how I read it, and we agree the shape before anything is paid. Delivered as a written piece with its sources and images. If the record is contested and cannot be settled, you get that straight instead of a polished story.