I’m a food writer, TV producer, video director, cookbook author, digital creator, and former editor of several food publications. You may be thinking, that’s a lot of hats to wear, and I wouldn’t disagree. But working in the world of food offers you many avenues if you’re open to them.

I never intended to be in the food industry. It began by me saying “yes” to a catering job run by a crazy, hot-headed Japanese female chef. At parties, the staff wore traditional kimonos which made walking and bending with trays of food quite challenging. I was the only non-Asian staff member, but they embraced me, although often whispered in Japanese and giggled and I’m pretty sure it was about me, so at least I kept them entertained. I didn’t know anything about Japanese food (or much about cooking for that matter), but I was fascinated by the rituals, precision, beauty, and amazing flavors the cuisine offered. Going to work was like entering a food fairy tale, but often being slapped back to reality by the chef’s outbursts. Still I was hooked. That part-time job in college lead to me meeting the person who would become my future business partner, and together we opened a full-line retail bakery with an emphasis on specialty cakes 3 years later, but more on that later.

By putting one foot in front of the other and saying “yes,” very often with unknown outcomes, I went from a wide-eyed, young bakery owner to landing jobs as the Editorial Director of Fine Cooking magazine, food editor of Vegetarian Times and one of the biggest food and cooking websites, creator and producer of the PBS show Moveable Feast, and spokesman and lead recipe developer for Nestle Chocolate. I’ve had the good fortune to travel the world, all in the name of food exploration. Plus, along the way, wrote and edited several cookbooks and scores of articles that have appeared in publications such as Cooking Light, Health, Eating Well, and Gannet newspapers.

What is The Flavor Journal?

Writing and food discovery are threads that have always weaved through my life and career, and this newsletter is designed to be an extension of that. Join me as I explore the new, the old, the unusual, and the inspiring world that food offers us. Weekly, I will send out an essay along with notes and recipes, guaranteed to peak your interest and expand your perspective. We all gotta eat, so let’s do so with curiosity and gusto!

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Thanks for reading, and I look forward to connecting!