Far too late with posting this news, but food critic and radio host Tom Fitzmorris died on February 12 in his beloved hometown of New Orleans, at the age of 74. It was due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease, NOLA.com reports.
Tom was the 49th stranger interviewed for this site in August 2013. We met for dinner in the Crescent City’s business district, enjoying a fantastic meal at Tommy’s Cuisine (since closed). There, Tom shared his life story, talking about his love of the Big Easy and its many unique dishes, as well as how he got started in restaurant reviewing and more.
There are plenty of first-class obituaries about Tom to read, including at that NOLA.com link above, the New York Times and more. Whether you agreed with his takes or not, he was a prominent voice in the city’s culinary narrative.
I can’t add much but can share that my dinner with Tom was a treat — amazing food and wine, one-of-a-kind stories about the city and its restaurants told by an expert, and just the right amount of eccentricity and good humor.
And Tom’s reviews sometimes got him into trouble, by his own admission.
In his must-read book “Hungry Town,” which offers a great overview of the city’s modern dining developments, he describes being banned from renowned Chef Paul Prudhomme’s restaurant K-Paul’s. That was the original venue I pitched for the dinner interview; no wonder he suggested Tommy’s.