JEAN TRINH
JAMES BEARD AWARD-NOMINATED WRITER BASED IN LOS ANGELES
Jean Trinh is a James Beard Award-nominated writer based in Los Angeles. She writes about food, travel, art and culture. Sometimes, personal essays, too.
An independent journalist, her writing has been featured in Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Food & Wine, Eater, The Washington Post, Bon Appétit, and The Infatuation. And her audio reporting has been aired on America’s Test Kitchen and KCRW-FM’s Good Food.
Previously, she was a deputy editor at news blog LAist and a reporter at Eater LA. She cut her teeth in The Daily Beast’s entertainment newsroom.
Her essays have appeared in Los Angeles Times and Wired. She is currently working on a memoir, and is a 2025 alum of Tin House’s renowned writing workshop.
PUBLICATIONS
Jean has written for print and digital publications, and podcasts for over a decade.
Select stories
Jean loves writing stories about people, communities, cultures, and adventures that are off the beaten path.
AWARDS & Nominations
Jean was a finalist in the 2023 James Beard Media Awards in the category of Personal Essay Without Recipes for her Los Angeles Times piece, “How these Chinese doughnuts helped save my refugee family.”
At the LA Press Club’s 2019 Southern California Journalism Awards, Jean received second place in the Lifestyle Feature Online category for her KCET story, “The Decades-Long Evolution of Thai Cuisine in Los Angeles.”
At the LA Press Club’s 2018 Southern California Journalism Awards, Jean received second place in the category Travel Reporting in All Media Platforms (Print, Radio, TV and Online) for her KCET story, “The Fascinating History of the Massive Pyramid and Granite Monuments in the California Desert.”