WORK HISTORY
October 2017 – Present
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine
Senior Staff Writer
- Work with test kitchen to develop recipes from travel, including ingredient deep dives on pomegranate molasses in Turkey and smoked paprika in Spain
- Cooked with home cooks and chefs in Portugal to write about cornbread, Italy for roast pork, Georgia (the country) for roast chicken with walnuts, the Canary Islands for potatoes and more
- Ghost-write two weekly columns on weeknight cooking for Associated Press and Boston Globe
- Leader/Editor of e-commerce team to ensure Milk Street voice in product descriptions, newsletters and other content online. Repurpose content across departments for blog posts to optimize SEO
Staff Writer
- Research, test recipes and write seven to nine stories per issue, as well as other copy and sidebars. Write ingredient how-tos, explainers and roundups. Copy edit each issue to AP style
June 2016 – Present
Freelance Writer and Editor
- Besides Milk Street, I have written, taken photographs and produced pieces for Associated Press, CNN, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, American Public Media, Luxury Travel Advisor, CruiseCritic.com, AAA Traveler Worldwise, AAA Northeast, WRTI-FM and other outlets.
— Published in compilation of Associated Press’ best travel coverage: “Get Outta Here” - I have more than 10 years of experience editing and proofreading news, features, websites, financial reports, academic papers, marketing materials, translations, nonprofit pamphlets, resumes and more. Member of the Society of American Travel Writers.
October 2014 – May 2016
Associated Press
Newsperson/Desk Editor
East Region State Government editor
- I coordinated coverage among reporters in statehouses throughout the 10-state East Region, stretching from Ohio to New Jersey and up to Maine. I also edited spot news and enterprise stories on all topics.
- Responded to breaking news and wrote or updated stories. Contributed reporting. Wrote compelling headlines. Conceived of and edited enterprise stories. Coordinated with multimedia staff and the AP’s journalists around the globe.
June 2012 – January 2017
Passyunk Post.com
Founder/Publisher
- I built a hyperlocal website covering a host of topics in the booming neighborhood of South Philadelphia, including restaurants, development, events, retail, openings, closings, quality of life issues and other aspects of city living.
- Audience reached up to 50,000 unique visitors a month. Attracted more than 40 advertisers and managed a stable of more than 30 contributing writers. I sold the site in 2017.
February 2008 – May 2014
Philadelphia Daily News
Assistant City Editor
- I supervised a team of up to 10 reporters, assigned stories and managed the Page 1 enterprise calendar while balancing the daily demands of breaking news.
September 2008 – May 2012
Temple University
Adjunct Professor
- I designed an immersive, writing-intensive curriculum for Writing for Journalism. Emphasized detailed feedback to achieve marked improvement for up to 20 students per class.
EDUCATION
2005
Temple University
Master of Journalism
2000
American University
Bachelor of Journalism
Skills
AP Style
SEO
Spanish: B1 Certified
WordPress
Honors and Related Experience
- Best Overall Food Coverage 2019 by the Association of Food Journalists (co-named with Milk Street’s editorial director). Staff nomination as 2018 finalist for James Beard Award for Best Dining and Travel; Finalist for 2018 Publication of the Year by IACP
- Worked 14 years in restaurants, starting as a cook at 16 and ending up in fine-dining front of house
- Board member and founding editor of Philadelphia Obituary Project, a nonprofit website dedicated to writing positive stories about the city’s homicide victims. Recruited and manage reporters. Got national coverage with the Associated Press and NPR’s All Things Considered, international coverage from The (London) Independent, and several local stories, including The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Proficiency with: WordPress, Airtable, Klaviyo and Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Google Suite, Photoshop and InDesign. Familiarity with HTML and CSS
Media mentions
Los Angeles Times
“The best ways to keep in touch with home while you’re abroad”
—Sept. 3, 2107
Radio Barcelona
Interviewed on air about CNN Travel story on Barcelona beaches
(Listen here in Spanish)
—June 1, 2018
Associated Press
“Obituary project makes homicide victims more than just stats”
—Dec. 24, 2017
NPR (All Things Considered)
“The Philadelphia Obituary Project Chronicles Lives Lost To Violence”
—Feb. 6, 2018