Biography
I've been an author for some time now.
Journals, articles, random sheets of paper and sticky notes. When you're
an artist, of any kind, you just know - and then you do whatever you can
to create more art.
I've been writing since forever. Newspaper and yearbook in high school, lots of academic writing in college between singing with Sigma Alpha Iota and maintaining the airwaves as an on-air disc jockey at 89.1 WIDR. I studied abroad in Adelaide, South Australia for a year and upon returning to the U.S. - and thus graduating from my alma mater, Western Michigan University - I ventured out west to ride out a bit of the dot-com wave. And now we know.
Following a published essay in 2004 in The Writer on the importance of journaling as a writer, I went on to develop and manage an organic catering business - nearly the first of its kind back then - with a focus on local foodstuffs and sustainable business practices. Prior to taking a hit from the recession, we closed our doors to focus on family, and I penned a book about the experience, titled Career Diary of a Caterer, published in 2007. I went on to write about the food and beverage industry for Daily Blender, taking full ownership of it in 2008. With Daily Blender, I've conversed, noshed, and imbibed with the best of them, from Anthony Bourdain to Tom Colicchio to Danny Meyer. Less of a "foodie" and more of a "business-ie", I spend my moments inquiring about the business end of the restaurant industry, from happy employees to sustained success through rough economic times. Unsurprisingly, folks are quite interested in discussing something other than the temp of their sous vide. Go figure.
In addition to Daily Blender, I've also contributed to Delta Sky and Northwest Palate magazines, as well as a bevy of online resources, including Societe Perrier, Accidental Hedonist, BootsNAll, Super Chef, and Focus Organic. I'm always looking for new stories - and places to write them.