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ORAL HISTORY

Sarah Fritschner

Sarah Fritschner, born in 1954, grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. She attended the University of Kentucky and majored in nutrition. While at school, Fritschner discovered she had a knack for writing. Six credits short of graduation, she took a job at the Louisville Times as a clerk in 1976 and wrote occasional articles for the food section, developing a portfolio of clips.

Fritschner was hired as the food editor at the Daytona Beach News-Journal. In 1979, she took a job as the food editor of The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Florida. During her time there, The Washington Post offered her the position of assistant food editor. After two years in Washington, Fritschner moved back to her hometown in 1983 and took the food editor position at The Louisville Courier-Journal.

Fritschner’s approach to food writing centered around her community. By the mid-1990s, Fritschner developed an interest in the local food movement. After she left the Courier-Journal in 2007, she translated her community-centered food writing into local food activism. Today, Fritschner is a freelance food writer and a food activist. She has published four cookbooks, including The Express Lane Cookbook (1995).