United States
I’m a versatile communications leader and consultant with experience as a journalist, brand copywriter, content strategist and author. Medill/Northwestern University journalism graduate adept at understanding audiences and building effective content programs to drive business goals for brands including Houzz, One Medical, Total Wine & More and Rodan + Fields.
Editorial work in: The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Wine Enthusiast, Esquire, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful and Dwell.
Authored: The Bubbly Bar, a champagne and sparkling wine cocktail book for Random House. Editor + co-author of Tanya Holland’s California Soul: A Culinary Journey West from Ten Speed Press, 2023 telling the story of Black migration from Texas and Louisiana to California.
Fern Stroud got inspired on a later wine tour in South Africa, so after a pandemic layoff, she started her business, sip by sip
Cabernet Sauvignon is king in Napa, but these producers make a strong case for high-end Sauvignon Blanc. Learn about their bottles here.
Ann Noble, inventor of the Wine Aroma Wheel, discusses why she created the revolutionary sensory tool. Read the interview here.
Wine labels rarely list ingredients, but the words "contains sulfites" are often prominent. Explore why sulfites are a hot-button issue.
My pilgrimage to Alhambra, a pinnacle of Moorish design, filled me with pride and awe.
The Bubbly Bar led the way with capturing the bubbly 365 zeitgeist, and sharing recipes for many styles of cocktails made with international sparkling wines and champagne, as well as a buying guide and wine term glossary.
Trending Topics
High-end wine tastings aren't always the friendliest places if you look young and Black. Standing in a scrum of tasters in San Diego about 20 years ago, I exclaimed over the aromas from my glass of pinot noir. A middle-aged white man with red hair and glasses snapped, "I'm not listening to a thing you have to say."
The NBA legend has been very hands-on with every aspect of Digits Bourbon, from tasting and blending to pasting labels on bottles. It's all hands on deck at the Savage & Cooke Distillery on Mare Island in Vallejo, California, 30 minutes north of Oakland.
Out on the sunny patio at Wahpepah's Kitchen, sizzling plates of bison and deer make their way down a table filled with Native American educators from across the country. The game meat joins other indigenous dishes on the kitchen's menu, such as leafy salads topped with striped red corn and blue corn mush sweetened with berries and maple.
When Anthony Bourdain came to San Diego to promote his latest book, I gathered a roundtable of chefs - including the creator of Les Halles - and we all interviewed each other about life and what food means.
Imagine a perfect grain that's gluten-free, cooks in a few minutes, and is just as tasty and versatile as oats, rice, or quinoa. Say hello to fonio (aka acha or fundi), an ancient grain that has nourished people across West Africa for 5,000 years.
The first time Peter Yi tried Basque cider, it hit him like a lightning bolt. His experiences as a wine buyer left him thinking ciders were sweet, simple and didn't pair well with food. But this one was different - aromatic, dry and complex, everything he expected from a fine wine.
Health + Wellness
This infographic on common alcoholic beverages, the calories they're packing and how long it takes to work them off quickly became one of the most popular pieces of new content for 2016.
If it seems like matcha green tea is everywhere, that's because it is. The powdered green tea is the cool kid in the tea aisle, lauded for everything from its shamrock color to a dazzling spectrum of health benefits.
Whether you're planning a pandemic pod with friends or converting a corner of the dining room, you may want to enhance your learning space with elements from the natural world.
Deneen Sherrod knew something wasn't right. "I was having pain in my joints, and I was aching all over," said the 56-year-old IT specialist who lives near Baltimore. Tests for lupus, Lyme disease, and rheumatoid arthritis all came back negative. It turned out she was very deficient in vitamin D.
For National Walking Day, I partnered with Fitbit and a local fitness expert for a giveaway to capture new leads. More than 200 people entered and shared insights on where they find health information.
Not many people make a doctor's appointment to talk about the pros and cons of smoking joints vs. vaping, or whether it's OK to mix Mary Jane with merlot. Maybe more of us should.
Are you sheltering in place and cleaning everything in your home with a vengeance? It's a natural response to a pandemic like the novel coronavirus.
Jessica Green can usually tell when a new article about sulfites is published without opening a magazine or looking at her phone. "In the last two months, I've been getting so many people coming in saying they have allergies," says Green. But is wine to blame?
Ah happiness, that elusive state of being that everyone wants. It can't be bought or sold. So how do you find it? Poets and philosophers have pondered this question for ages.
You may not know it, but if you're a fan of live-edge tables, swirled Panda White marble, or plant-filled rooms with natural light, you're feeling the lure of biophilic design. Biophilia is based on the belief that humans need a connection to nature to thrive.
I interviewed a transgender patient and providers who specialize in LGBTQ+ care for this article on making all patients feel welcome
It's true the brain changes as we get older - what doesn't? And a normal part of that is getting a bit more forgetful.
Wine Content Marketing
A good tiki cocktail is like a vacation in a glass. With their colorful ingredients, special glassware, and fanciful garnishes, a Mai Tai or Hurricane sends your imagination on an adventure before you even take the first sip. According to cocktail historian Jeff Beachbum Berry, the tiki movement started in the early 1930s, right after Prohibition ended.
When it comes to red wine, nothing can match the elegance and appeal of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is an alluring choice, from the way the name rolls off your tongue to the layered aromas and bright flavors of fruit, earth, smoke, and spice.
Chenin Blanc is the shapeshifter of the white wine world, with a stunning range. When studying for a wine exam, a sommelier friend poured me three French Chenin Blanc wines.
The Muscat grape is one of the oldest wine grapes around - a juicy grape with exuberant aromas and flavors of exotic citrus, white peach, green grapes, and golden pear sprinkled with white flowers.
A beginner’s guide to finding a bottle of wine they’ll enjoy, from aromas and flavors of major varietals, to how wine is made to creating successful wine and food pairings.
Wine tasting, just like making small talk and dancing salsa, is a social skill that matters more and more today. Being knowledgeable about wine enhances your social status, and it's a way to impress business colleagues at your next team lunch or your dinner date.
Food Culture + Trends
It was like an expansive new vista on Southern rural life opened this summer, when I binged on the feast of stories and recipes in The Taste of Country Cooking, Lewis’s treasured cookbook and memoir
Every time I make a clafoutis cake, a buttery French cake that I fill with gloriously ripe summer stone fruit, I think of Marion Cunningham. The prolific home cook turned author was known for updating the historic Fannie Farmer Cookbook, a classic that taught many Americans how to cook.
We asked some of our favorite restaurant chefs and authors to share some of their best veggie secrets. Adeena Sussman, Gregory Gourdet, Tyson Cole, Zarela Martinez and Isabel Cruz share some great ways to elevate your own vegetable cookery at home.
While Southern fare like barbecue ribs, potato salad, and red Kool-Aid were part of my summer menu growing up in Chicago, I didn't learn about Juneteenth until I started writing about food 20 years ago.
State Bird Provisions, which just snagged the James Beard Award for the best new restaurant in the nation, may seem like a hipster spot with its offbeat name, string art decor and dim-sum-style service.
As the Obamas were preparing to enter the White House, there was a lot of buzz in the national restaurant community over who the next chef would be. I pitched this piece to the CSM and then reached out to Danny Meyer, Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl for their take.
In case you haven't heard, yuzu kosho and Bora Bora vanilla beans are so last year. The hot food flavoring on the scene is bourbon-and lots of it. Correspondent Maria Hunt has noticed creative chefs and food artisans across the country using the caramel-colored spirit to season foods ranging from ice cream to pigs' ears.
Drew Barrymore splashes into an unexpected new role with a wine brand and a cooking show. I sat down with her at Pebble Beach Food & Wine to learn more.
Remember that 1980s television show Fantasy Island, where a man dressed in white made visitors' every wish come true? Saison is the culinary equivalent ....
Even Julia Child was disappointed with the way the words "Caesar salad" were getting tossed around. "I think they like to use the name," said Julia Child, a woman who definitely knows her way around a salad bowl. So I went to Tijuana, Mexico to discover the true origins of this ubiquitous salad.
"Clemente said eating pan de sal makes him think of a sexy girl." -- Most people don't know it, but San Diego is an incredibly diverse city. I profiled seven traditional breads baked here in order to better understand the people who make and love them.
"Bacon maple? There's actual bacon in that cupcake?" an incredulous visitor blurts out after scanning the selections at More, a sleek modern cupcake boutique in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood. How and why bacon became the next big thing in desserts.
Interior Design - Editorial and E-commerce
Between sheltering in place for months because of the pandemic and followed by the ongoing anguish and unrest over the deaths of unarmed Black people like Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, maybe you're feeling like you could use some relief and psychological comfort.
Growing up in New Mexico, Venancio Aragon (Diné) remembers that a Pendleton wool blanket was one of the most precious gifts you could give or receive. Though his family has been practicing Navajo weaving for generations, he puts on a Pendleton for special occasions.
How does a city atone for killing as many as 300 of its Black citizens? How do you pay restitution for destroying homes and businesses worth more than $500 million today, and robbing future generations of family wealth?
Perhaps because it’s rooted in history, the British kitchen has some traditional ingredients that you’ll find again and again. Mix several of these features to easily create that distinctive and timeless look.
Two top LA home stagers share their go-to pieces for giving your home a look that says "buy me."
One of the biggest kitchen design trends for 2018 is going to be decor, finishes and furnishings inspired by wabi-sabi style. If you're thinking "What's that?" you're not alone.
A good designer can discuss Kuba cloth, Greek Revival architectural details, and clerestory windows with ease. But other words in the design lexicon have origins in colonialism, prejudice, and slavery.
These majestic structures give us shade with their pretty leaves, oxygen to breathe and a gentle reminder of how tiny and fleeting our human existence is.
Home to Pendleton wool and many a rainy day, Portland has been shedding its woolly and wet image to emerge as a burgeoning hotbed of sustainable design and environmental consciousness.
As the architect of the Shop Houzz ecommerce content program, one of my goals was to design campaigns to drive sales. I created a series of collections on major modern designers timed to run on their birthdays. The products told the story of their development in this unique form of "story-selling."
Designer Catherine Renae Thomas was in for an exciting challenge when she was hired by Ashton Kutcher to do a surprise makeover of his mom’s family basement. See the video, then get the look with this special collection from the Houzz Shop.
Timed to coincide with the 2015 Academy Awards ceremony, I created this collection inspired by the home of Hollywood celebrity stylist Mara Roszak, along with her tips on how to create the look.
Wine + Spirits Editorial
For this celebration of the other white grape, I interviewed acclaimed educator Karen MacNeil, a Master Sommelier Willi Sherer, Master of Wine Tim Hanni and Stephen Sterling, whose family owns the Cole Ranch AVA.
When Philippe and Cherie Melka first arrived in the Napa Valley in the 1990s, the region was awash in Cabernet Sauvignon. Sauvignon Blanc, the red grape's natural partner in Bordeaux, was an afterthought. "There was almost no high-end Sauvignon Blanc in the market," says Melka, a fan of Château Haut-Brion Blanc.
Dry farming isn't a new concept, but it has taken on renewed significance in the last decade. Plants can't talk. But any gardener knows that if you listen and pay attention, your plants will tell you what they need.
Posted wine and food content to drive engagement with local customers
When it comes to finding the next investment wines, many collectors, and Master Sommelier Will Costello look to the Napa Valley Wine Auction.
Tasting some of the world's most amazing wines - including Scarecrow Cab and Domaine Dujac Burgundy - inspired this piece.
When you're born into a wine family with a name like Mondavi, Sokol Blosser or Barrett, you're stepping into a ready-made legacy before you've bottled a drop.
CHÂTEAU D'ESCLANS gives oenophiles a reason to see the world through rose-colored glasses. .
What's your unique champagne personality? Perrier Jouet is giving 100 people the chance to find out -- and bottle it.
Brand Marketing Copywriting
Exploring the contrasting wine styles and the best producers from Oregon and Washington State. The differences between wines from these Pacific Northwest states might surprise you.
Wrote script introducing Active Hydration Bright Eye Complex to audience of 200,000.
Redesigned and updated website for boutique family winery to include e-commerce, social media, enhanced product pages and immersive imagery.
Timothy Adams Chocolates is a sweet shop in Palo Alto with a whimsical Alice-in-Wonderland vibe. For their colorful line of six filled chocolate bars, I wrote playful back copy that teased the flavors within. (Capitalization and punctuation were determined by the graphic designer.)
This year's Top 20 wines are the best yet! Any style you're looking for-red, white, sparkling, dry, sweet, rich, light-this list has it. After tasting thousands of wines, we can't wait to share these 20 superstars with you.
Exploring Zinfandel, a grape varietal that’s beloved in America for its history, its juicy bright flavors and the way it pairs with anything from the grill.
Lead social copywriter creating daily messaging to drive sales and engagement on Instagram, Facebook and B2B Facebook page for 150K consultants. Localized messaging for Australia and Canadian audiences.
Researched and wrote video script for Active Hydration Serum Facebook Live product launch. Multipart script included C-suite executives and team testimonials. 210K views
An email list of 12 million+ subscribers gave me the opportunity to make data-driven content decisions to optimize the Shop Houzz e-commerce content program. Stats showed that lighting and bath materials were two top sales categories, so I had my team create a series on the best lighting under $100 as well as variations on the classic white bath. The result was 100,000+ clicks in 24 hours and sell-outs for the lighting and bath collections below, and others in the series.
Active Hydration Serum was the biggest R+F product launch of 2017. Based on the product benefits and features, I wrote creative campaign concepts and supporting taglines and copy for two phases and optimized the launch landing page and product pages to highlight the unique selling proposition. I originated the "Destination Hydration" tagline, which inspired a series of animated gifs showing how the product was an essential for travel. I also created "Rev up your Regimen" to spur add on...
Travel
One of the most interesting discoveries was that negroamaro doesn’t mean “black bitter” in Italian — it actually means “blackest of blacks.”
It seems like Brazil has turned into one of the fashionable places to travel; the South American country is on more than a few lists of the best travel destinations for 2014. And with the FIFA World Cup kicking off in June - and the 2016 Summer Olympics not too long after that - more people than ever are heading to cities all over Brazil.
For beautiful forests, breathtaking coastal views and artisanal wines and beers, nothing compares to a jaunt up to Northern California's Anderson Valley. Just two hours north of San Francisco, this region is rich in rustic beauty.
Traveling to Mexico for many people means booking a flight to Los Cabos or Todos Santos. But the most intriguing and stunning destination in Mexico right now is the Valle de Guadalupe wine country in Baja California Norte.
It's not hard to have a good time in Napa. After all, the food tastes better, the sky is a little bluer and the wine is definitely more plentiful.
Carmel-by-the-Sea has been known as an artists' colony and a golfers' paradise for decades. But the oceanside California enclave is gaining a reputation for serious cuisine, thanks to chef Justin Cogley of Aubergine, the Restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel.
Profiles
Though we spoke long-distance by phone, Mo'Nique and I created a real rapport and she opened up about her journey to self-acceptance and helping other women do the same.
West Coast chef and restaurateur Isabel Cruz is a pioneer when it comes to cross cultural cuisine that's a healthy mix of Latin and Asian flavors.
When Ted Turner was the special guest at a friend's winery I jumped at the chance to do a short taped interview with him about his favorite topic... his work to save the American bison.
I met the legendary businessman at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, and as we shared a lunch of delicacies from around the world, he told me about his work and passions in life.
I met Food Network star Marcella Valladolid when she was just becoming known in San Diego and wrote this profile for a luxury magazine.
After Jeffrey Steingarten, then the Vogue food writer, penned an article about the awful restaurant cuisine in San Diego, I wrote a response in my newspaper column. We then decided to spend a couple days together so he could share all the things he loved about eating around the region.
Philanthropy
Whether escaping poverty in India or a corporate glass ceiling, women helping each other is key.
With the high cost of living in San Diego, young enlisted families often run out of money for food and essentials, and rely on local charities. The spotlight on this problem eventually led Congress to increase the pay scale.