Pasadena City Hall Joins Los Angeles’ City-Wide Tribute to Pulitzer-Prize Winning Food Critic Jonathan Gold

Pasadena’s domed City Hall will be ablaze with golden light Saturday night to mark what would have been the 58th birthday of Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times restaurant critic and Pasadena resident Jonathan Gold, who died on July 21st.

Gold died of pancreatic cancer last Saturday after being diagnosed only weeks earlier. He and his wife, Times arts and entertainment editor Laurie Ochoa, resided in Pasadena. Together they had two children, 23-year-old Isabel and 15-year-old Leon.

Buildings and landmarks across Los Angeles County will display messages and light up with gold inspired by Gold, nicknamed “the Belly of Los Angeles.”

“Pasadena is a restaurant destination thanks in part to the positive support that Jonathan Gold provided,” Pasadena’s Assistant City Manager Julie Gutierrez said. “We are proud to support Jonathan’s family for the years of joy and memories he’s brought to his hometown of Pasadena.”

The Los Angeles Times said it will light a tribute to Gold on its new building in El Segundo as the sun sets on Saturday.

After sundown, landmarks including Pasadena’s City Hall and Los Angeles City Hall’s tower,, the Wilshire Grand Center, The Broad, US Bank Tower, Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain in Grand Park, Natural History Museum, pylons at LAX and Pacific Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will also be illuminated for the occasion.

Additional venues and events, including The Wiltern, the Ford Theatres, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Chinatown Summer Nights and the Fairplex in Pomona will also display messages and projections in Gold’s honor, with more to be confirmed and all welcome to participate.

The Gold-Ochoa family asks that, in lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Gold’s life consider supporting any of these nonprofit organizations: L.A. Regional Food Bank,  Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Heal the Bay or Al Otro Lado.

Friends of the Gold-Ochoa family have also created a GoFundMe campaign.

The community is encouraged to share photos of the tribute using #LAGold.