Critic Robert Sietsema Axed From the Village Voice

Robert Sietsema, one of New York's most revered and influential food critics, has been fired from the Village Voice. Gawker reports that the Voice's parent company let go of several key members of the Voice team today including Sietsema, nightlife columnist Michael Musto, and theater critic Michael Feingold. The news comes one week after Village Voice editor in chief Will Bourne and deputy editor Jessica Lustig walked off the job after the top brass asked them to let go of five members of the 20-person staff.

Sietsema has been the weekly's chief restaurant critic since 1993. His influence on the world of New York food writing cannot be calculated. Although he's perhaps most famous for his comprehensive coverage of outer-borough restaurants, Sietsema also frequently filed on the big Manhattan openings, and he wrote about new discoveries and different aspects of New York food culture on the Voice's Fork in the Road blog.

On Twitter, his colleague Pete Wells remarked: "I was on the trail w/ @robertsietsema on Monday & was reminded, again, that the man knows every restaurant on every block of NYC." Sietsema has not announced any future plans yet.
· 'Bloodbath' Day at Village Voice: Musto, Sietsema, Feingold Out [Gawker]
· All Coverage of Robert Sietsema [~ENY~]