Here you’ll find some of my recent writing:

Now Kalamazoo: Kzoo Kitchens

A Coffee Rescue rescue

Nigerian fusion food comes to Kalamazoo

“Comfort foods so the average guy off the street could enjoy.” Kalamazoo County’s first all-vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free restaurant opens in Portage.

Ice cream customers flock to the chicken. Rollup Ice Cream’s unique treats drew crowds in Kalamazoo and Portage stores, but the chicken sandwich is giving wings to the local parlor’s expansion to Missouri.

Vegan cuisine no longer just a trend. Menu options are expanding, a new all-vegan restaurant is soon to open, and a day-long festival at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market are expanding the horizons for area foodies.

Bronco footballer returns to campus as BBQ stand-out. With inspired recipes and a rotating menu of meats and sides, the new House of Soul and Seafood by Chef Jarrell McKinney gets a crowd even before the doors formally open.

“This is my thing.”  A Portage chef trained in both nutrition and culinary arts packs flavor for all sorts of dietary needs into a unique meal prep business.

Second Wave Media 

Apples of John Claridge’s eyes: Marcellus heirloom apple farm boasts 80 varieties

‘Brewing Means Hope’ for the people of Ukraine and a Kalamazoo brewer supports the cause

Early Online Articles: MLIVE.com

Some like it cooked, they like their food raw: Kalamazoo food group meets to share recipes, learn from each other.

Blueberry Chutney and BBQ chicken

Step by Step guide to candy flowers

Food for Pisces, and other fish lovers

Can You Shabu Shabu? It’s a romantic, healthy, fondue style meal

An Asian flavored holiday meal

Flip for a New American Burger

Easy breezy picnic foods

Lectures

Talking Turkey: Introduction to the Dining Culture of the Ottoman Empire The Culinary Historians of Chicago 2009

Local Foodways, Everything But the Beak: Cooking Your Chicken with Thought A Collaborative program with Fair Food Matters, Portage Public Library and Tillers International 04. 2008

Interviews

Dinner in the Ottoman Empire, anyone? Here On Earth; Radio without Borders-Food Friday with Jean Feraca  NPR  7.24.2010

Community center Future Chefs program’s first day of school calls for cooks to think on their feet

All We Can Eat – How to Eat Like Turkish Royalty (washingtonpost.com) 9.22.2009

Haute Cuisine, Ottoman Style, with Channon Mondoux – YouTube

Awards and Recognition

Silver Medalist, Living Now Book Awards, Ethnic Category: A Celebration at the Sarayi: Reliving a Feast in the Palace of Suleyman the Magnificent 2009

Cultural Ambassador, Turkish Cultural Foundation Cultural Exchange Program. Travelled to Turkey as a guest of the foundation for a three-week cultural exchange spanning the cities of Istanbul, Amasya, Iznik, Izmir, Gallipoli, Beypazari, Ankara, Cannakale, and Konya. We met with dignitaries, financial and educational scholars, cultural groups, and spent time learning the art and culture of Turkish society. September-October 2009

Guest Author, Chicago Turkish Festival 2008

Finalist: Food Network, The Ultimate Recipe Showdown. “Gingerbread Cake with French Brandy Sauce and Whipped Orange Flower Cream” Hollywood, California 2008

Grant Winner

Jamming for Jobs at the Northside Community Center, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Kalamazoo MI 2010

Local Food and Community Network, Bread for the Journey, Detroit MI 2008

Sunburst Community Garden, Fair Food Matters, Kalamazoo MI 2005-2013

Culinary Career

Executive Chef, The Eclectic Kitchen, 2002-Present

Chef du Cuisine, Omega Chi, Western Michigan University Chapter, 2021-2022 academic year

Sous Chef, John Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo MI 2007-10