Food writer was a consummate journalist
_BY NANCY _STETSON Florida Weekly Correspondent

COURTESY PHOTO Linda Gordon and her beloved Shih Tzu Lilybelle. Gordon died Nov. 12 in Naples.

I don't claim to know what the afterlife is like, but I sincerely hope it has five-star restaurants: enticing aromas, a visually pleasing presentation on the plate, and the perfect texture and exquisite taste on the tongue. And of course, unobtrusive first-class service and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

I fervently pray that exists in the hereafter, because I suspect that'd be Linda Gordon's idea of heaven.

Linda died Nov. 12. She was 65.

She was a friend and former coworker.

I already miss her. I miss her outrageous and funny stories, her journalistic judgment. I miss laughing and commiserating with her. I miss her support. I miss hearing her familiar greeting on the phone: "Hey, Stetson!"

If you've ever eaten in Naples, there's a good chance you've followed her guidance in picking a restaurant, even if you've never met her. Because Linda was L.G. Gordon, the former restaurant critic for the "Naples Daily News."

She had a sophisticated, educated palate and was equally at home at the most expensive restaurant as she was at a tiny ma-and-pa breakfast joint.

"She was very well connected with people," says James Lilliefors, senior writer/editor at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts and Linda's close friend of 24 years. "She just knew everybody. She was very highly respected. She always seemed to have a rapport with restaurant people."

The two met in the mid-80's when he hired her to work at the "Maryland Coast Dispatch."

"Her nightlife column was very popular," Lilliefors says. "She had a real gift for words. It was very lively writing. She wrote prose that people enjoyed reading."

He describes Linda as "a great, supportive friend. (She was) funny, sophisticated, earthy."

The two later started the Ocean City Today newspaper and also collaborated on feature stories that ran in the "Baltimore Sun" and the "Washington Post." In the 90's in Florida, Linda became the restaurant critic for the "Naples Daily News," which was where I met her. In addition to her insightful reviews, she also wrote features and a weekly column called Table Talk.

"This was an accomplished journalist," Lilliefors says. "She did it all. She wrote nightlife and news and features. She had a real flair for writing. She was good. When the restaurant beat opened up, that became her domain."

She was restaurant reviewer for 11 years. Unfortunately, during her last few years, problems with management arose which made her seek early retirement.

Though she loved food writing and she loved journalism, she hated what was happening to her newspaper and to the industry overall. She began freelancing for various public relations firms and the Phil and also wrote regularly for "Gulfshore Life" magazine.

Her story, unfortunately, is the story of many journalists across the country: thousands of older, experienced writers pushed out of their jobs by papers who worship the bottom line more than quality journalism. Newspapers - and we, as readers - are the lesser for it.

Linda Gordon was a quality journalist, a damn good writer.

"I think about Linda often," says Charles Winkler, who sat just a few feet from her when he was Entertainment Editor at the "Naples Daily News." "She got her facts straight, met deadlines and made me laugh at her outrageous observations. She was a genuine character right out of an old-time newsroom: opinionated, sure of herself, acidly witty and just a little crotchety at times - but with a genuine heart of gold. Naples may miss her now. I've been missing her for years." ¦