The national media's appetite for covering Marilyn Hagerty, long-time Grand Forks Herald columnist who writes about dining options in the area, continues. She was featured in a segment on CBS's "Sunday Morning" (KXJB-TV Ch. 4) program this past weekend.
The segment included an interview with Anthony Bourdain, chef, author and TV personality who collaborated with Hagerty on her latest book, "Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews," which was released last year.
He described her "straightforward" writing style as "so refreshing" with "an earnestness and lack of guile."
Marsha Gunderson, the Herald's marketing manager, called Hagerty "an icon" in the segment. She said readers know that if Hagerty doesn't write much about the food and writes more about the silverware or napkins at a restaurant, "you know the food isn't good."
Local scenes shot several weeks ago by a visiting CBS television crew included the Herald newsroom, Hagerty's home office, a UND basketball game, and dining with CBS reporter Bill Geist at the Olive Garden. It was her review of this long-awaited restaurant that sparked social media reactions -- at first snide and later favorable -- that eventually "went viral" and shot her to fame.
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Since then, she has been invited to appear on several national TV shows.
In addition to "The Eatbeat" column, Hagerty writes four other columns each week for the Herald. She has been with the paper since 1957 when her husband, Jack Hagerty, deceased, became its editor.
