About

I am food writer who covers food politics, trends and sustainability issues. I am currently at work on a book about one town in West Virginia’s struggle to change the way it eats and whether the food “revolution” can cross geographical, cultural and class boundaries.

I started off my career as a reporter, covering technology and international news at organizations including the BBC and Businessweek Online. In 2003, I moved to London to attend culinary school at Leiths School of Food and Wine, then landed a job as food editor at Boston Magazine.

From 2007 through 2010, I was a staff writer at The Washington Post. My reporting took me from Immokalee, Florida, where I wrote about tomato pickers’ struggle for better working conditions to Monterey Bay, where I attended a “secret meeting” of the Sardinistas, a group of environmentalists who want to teach Americans about the culinary joys of small fish. My stories try to make people think smart about what and where they eat.

My writing has received many awards. In 2009 and 2010, The Washington Post Food section won the James Beard Award for best newspaper food section. The Association of Food Journalists awarded me prizes for my best feature writing and essay writing. I also have won awards from Les Dames D’Escoffier, the City and Regional Magazine awards and had my work featured in the Best Food Writing 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Today, my column, Smarter Food, appears each month in The Washington Post Food. I also write for Food & Wine, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and New York Magazine. I also have a podcast, Smart Food, which broadcasts on Edible Radio.