[1] He is the author of four books on food and drink in the United States, including the recent work Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York.
In 1973, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Indiana University Bloomington, where he graduated with honors.
From October 1991 until September 1997 he worked as a reporter on the cultural desk where he reviewed independent film, visual art, and books.
Grimes features prominently in the 2017 documentary Obit, about the New York Times obituaries desk.
[3] In 1998, Grimes was nominated for a James Beard Foundation award for his work on a Dining article titled "Is America Ready for Bunny Ragout?"