Hello and Welcome!

I am such a food nerd that I kept Harold McGee’s classic On Food and Cooking next to my bed for years and years. I studied dietetics at San Francisco State University, have a master’s degree in nutrition, and am a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). I started my career as a pediatric nutritionist, emphasizing home cooking and connecting families and communities through food. Before there were online blogs I published a food and nutrition newsletter, Tiny Tummies, acclaimed by parents and professionals for no-nonsense writing, emphasis on developing healthy eating habits and relationships to food, and seasonal recipes. Since then I have written for magazines and websites on food and nutrition.

I love sharing the joy of food, and started teaching nutrition and foods classes at Santa Rosa Junior College, then moved to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, where I taught for almost 14 years. I was an Associate Professor at the CIA, teaching food safety, culinary math, gastronomy, and nutrition. I also led programming for the CIA’s Healthy Kids Collaborative and the CIA-Harvard Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives Conference, and worked on other health and wellness initiatives, bridging the worlds of nutrition and culinary arts.

I am a past-chair of the Food & Culinary Professionals Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, and have authored an online nutrition course for chefs for the American Culinary Federation. I was an expert reviewer for both The Complete Recipe Writing Guide and the 8th edition of the ServSafe Coursebook.

My family and I live in the Napa Valley, where we make wine in our small garage with a group of friends. Throughout the year I can fruit, make preserves and liqueurs, and cure olives. I am currently working on a book about seasonal cooking, gardening, and home winemaking.