Oral History Interview with Dotty Griffith, November 21, 2014 Page: 3 of 38
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walk into restaurants with brown bags with bourbon or scotch or whatever and order "set-
ups" to mix their drinks with. That's what you did. You couldn't buy alcohol in a restaurant.
Aaron Starnes:
What came in the "set-up," was it just a glass of ice?
Dotty Griffith:
Just a glass of ice and what you ordered to go with it, whether it was coke or soda. In fact, I
just did a thing with a bunch of chefs and they were talking about how during those days
people would actually bring in Dr. Pepper and mix it with stuff. But yea, 7up, ginger ale,
whatever. So, once you could order wine, or a real cocktail in a restaurant, it elevated, it
suddenly made Dallas more aware of fine dining. Then you had the Mansion open and all of
these places that were really iconic to fine dining in Texas. I was very lucky to have been at
the beginning of that change, it gave me lots of opportunities as far as writing and coverage.
At one point the Morning News actually had two food sections a week; hard to believe now,
free standing food sections a week.
Ashleigh Cue:
How long were you doing the city desk reporting before you were food editor.
Dotty Griffith:
I did that for about six years and then switched over to be food editor, and I was the food
editor for 16 years, took a little break as a features editor for a couple years and then was
the restaurant critic for the last 10 years of my career at the Morning News. So, really I've
been writing about food most of my professional life.
Nathan Battaglia:
You said... you were attracted to talking to powerful people. Did that carry over into the food
reporting? Did you have to leave that behind?
Dotty Griffith:
No, you know, as chefs became celebrities, it was very much still a part of it. To be able to
get to know the people who were leading in the food world and to know the cook book
authors and to know the cooking teachers who were really starting to educate America
beyond just what you grew up eating, your regional stuff. So I still had access to celebrity
and influencers and people who were at the top of the game that I was covering which, at
that time, was food.
Nathan Battaglia:
Why was that important to you? Was it like a rush you got? Did you want to have a sense of
making a difference in the world?
Dotty Griffith:
Well, yea, you know, I think there's a competitive drive behind journalist so it was great to
get the first, best interview with a big-deal person, or discover somebody... yea, it's a rush.
Ashleigh Cue:
What's your most memorable restaurant that you critiqued.
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Cue, Ashleigh; Starnes, Aaron; Battaglia, Nathan; Yavari, Mehri & Griffith, Dotty. Oral History Interview with Dotty Griffith, November 21, 2014, text, November 21, 2014; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth586994/m1/3/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism.