It all began at the restaurant table.
I grew up on steaming plates of buttered gnocchi, hot fluffy salt bagels and scoops of Haagen-Dazs on New York City’s Upper West Side in the early nineties. The child of a lawyer and theatre actress, many of my childhood memories were formed at the restaurant table of Pertutti—one of those highly memorable but temporary institutions that went with the waves of change that come over NYC periodically. When I was about four years old, I threw on a pretend cocktail-dress and pronounced myself “Out to Dinner” for Halloween. I was hooked.
Years and many issues of Gourmet later, I found my way to Harvard College where I studied History & Literature, Art History and lots of languages. I spent summers working at the American Academy in Rome as an intern in the culinary program started by Alice Waters there, and then landed in NYC as an early employee at Food52. From there I went to Vogue, where I assisted the Culture and the Health editors (read: the nerdy side of the office), and then love and sourdough brought me to San Francisco where I took a leap of faith to be with my then boyfriend, now life partner, whom I met over the weekend of Chez Panisse’s 40th anniversary.
After freelance writing and working for a literary agent, I took a gig as the first ever marketing copywriter at the OpenTable brand, which led to 10 years and an education in brand marketing, tech product, and the restaurant business. I did stints at start ups and Apple, but always made my way back to the world I loved—restaurants.
COVID and two babies later, I now reside in the coastal New England hamlet of Newburyport, Massachusetts where I consult on brand and content, most recently with Boston-based Toast, cook up a storm for friends and family, and chase my children around local ponds and playgrounds.
Experience
Sr. Director, Brand Content // OpenTable
2014 - Present
Lead content team of managers, strategists, writers and editors responsible for all brand marketing, editorial, and communications content across platforms (including site and app experiences, marketing channels, advertising, and product.) Own and drive cross-platform content strategy, and partner closely on brand campaign strategy and content partnerships.
Lead all editorial projects, including restaurant and diner packages, blog and influencer content, DE&I strategy, and more.
Brand Content & Marketing // Apple
2019
Recruited to Apple News to help with their burgeoning magazine business, I helped define the brand and channel strategy for our magazine partnerships as part of the launch of Apple Services.
As an independent consultant, I worked on brand and editorial projects with a wide array of clients including Architectural Digest, Vogue, Mind Body Green, and more. As a freelance writer, I contributed to the above publications, ghostwrote for Alice Waters, and assisted Literary Agent Kitty Cowles with her publishing clients, collaborating on countless book proposals for authors like Tartine (Chad Robertson), The Slanted Door (Charles Phan), Heath Ceramics, and others.
Editorial // Vogue, Food 52
2010 - 2014
As a Features Associate at Vogue, I pitched, wrote, and managed stories and writers, display copy, and ongoing flow of coverage and research under Culture and Health Editors, with a focus on design, health, fitness, food, TV, and film.
As a founding editor and content producer for the James Beard and IACP award-winning food brand, I wrote, edited, and published daily online recipe content, managed all social handles and email newsletters, tested recipes. Collaborated with engineers on all aspects of daily site management, as well as the launch of the Food52 Shop.