Bahar Anooshahr, Arizona Republic Restaurant Critic, on Quitting Oral Surgery & Never Eating Free

She used to sit in her car after work in tears and could not explain why, because there is no crying in oral surgery. A wellness retreat in Baja California gave her the answer she did not want: she was done being a surgeon. Today Bahar Anooshahr is the restaurant critic for The Arizona Republic, and the first thing with her new title printed on it is her proof of how far that decision carried her. Born in Iran, Bahar followed the path her family expected and became an oral and maxillofacial surgeon before walking away to write. She freelanced for Eater and Phoenix New Times, joined the Republic as dining and nightlife reporter in 2022, and was recently promoted to restaurant critic. She is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, which supports women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality. Her favorite meal is dessert. On this episode of Off Deadline, Melissa DiGianfilippo, founder of Proof Publicity, sits down with Bahar to get into: The retreat where she realized she did not want to be an oral surgeon anymore How a breakup and a love of Michelin star dinners turned into a food writing career Why she ignored the Republic's first email about the job, and what changed her mind What her parents said when she left surgery, and what her dad says now The negative review of a woman owned restaurant that gave her nightmares Learning to sit in discomfort when a critic's opinion gets pushback The difference between a dining reporter and a restaurant critic Walking 103,000 steps in one day just to beat a stranger on Fitbit The Receipt: her new title in print, and the Ruth Reichl book that started it all The story she wrote through tears when a restaurant tied to her late husband closed The unwritten rule: critics pay for every meal, zero gifts Advice to her first-year self: don't take no for an answer Follow Bahar Anooshahr: @baharcreative Follow The Arizona Republic dining team: @azcdining | @azcentral Follow the host, Melissa DiGianfilippo: @melissadflip Learn more about Proof Publicity: https://proofpublicity.com Produced by Turnkey Media: https://www.turnkeymediaaz.com 0:00 Cold open 0:38 Welcome to Off Deadline 0:55 Meet Bahar Anooshahr 1:57 Favorite dessert spot in the Valley 2:31 From oral surgeon to writer 3:22 Crying in the car and the retreat that changed everything 5:00 How the writing career started 5:54 The breakup that led to food writing 6:34 Why the Republic, and the email she almost ignored 7:35 The career move she is most proud of 8:25 What her family said when she left surgery 9:27 The review she got right that still feels wrong 11:26 Getting comfortable with discomfort as a critic 13:02 Food, family and growing up in Iran 14:41 Dining alone vs. dining with company 15:19 103,000 steps in one day 16:28 The Receipt: her new title in print 17:41 Dining reporter vs. restaurant critic 19:11 Instagram, perfectionism and the TikTok era 20:02 Rapid fire 20:37 The story she wrote through tears 22:12 The unwritten rule: zero free meals 23:07 If not this, patient advocate 24:03 Don't take no for an answer 25:44 Where to find Bahar #OffDeadline #BaharAnooshahr #ArizonaRepublic #PhoenixFood #ProofPublicity