Irene Costello – Writer

Irene Costello, Managing Partner, Ruby Chard Cooking Classes and Culinary Events  - After 20 years in the corporate world, Irene broke out to develop her passion for cooking. She earned her masters degree in gastronomy and a certificate in culinary arts from Boston University. She also has a certificate in wine studies from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.  Irene joined Ruby Chard as partner in 2002 bringing a unique combination of culinary and business experience. Irene earned her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University. You can reach her at irene@rubychard.com. 

Rosie DeQuattro – Writer
Free-lance food writer and a member of SlowFood, Rosie DeQuattro lives in Acton, MA with her furniture-maker/physician husband, Jerry Berke, and their dog, Rita. Rosie can be reached at rosiedequat@hotmail.com.

Anna Feldman – Writer
Anna Feldman is a senior at Tufts University, majoring in English literature and minoring in Italian studies. She plans on attending the University of Gastronomical Sciences in Parma, Italy to pursue a master’s degree in Quality Food Products. She can be reached at anna.feldman@tufts.edu.

John Lee – Writer
John Lee is the manager of Allandale Farm (Boston’s Last Working Farm), which specializes, in naturally-grown local produce. He occasionally writes for local news outlets and is deeply involved with farming and locally-grown issues in Massachusetts.

Clare Leschin-Hoar – Writer
Freelance writer Clare Leschin-Hoar is not known for clamming up. See some of her other stories at
www.leschin-hoar.com.

Joan MacIsaac – Writer
Joan MacIsaac, Executive Chef/Partner, Ruby Chard Cooking Classes and Culinary Events - As a restaurant chef, catering business owner and cooking class instructor, Joan brings more than 20 years professional culinary experience to Ruby Chard. After rising to executive chef at the James Beard award-winning Dahlia Lounge in Seattle, Joan returned to her hometown, Boston and founded Ruby Chard in 1996. For two yearsJoan consulted for The Food Project, working within their catering services and teaching youth a curriculum in culinary arts. You can reach her at joan@rubychard.com.

Barbara McFayden – Writer
Barbara McFayden is a freelance writer living in Dedham, MA. She can be reached at bmcfayden@gmail.com.

Kim Motylewski – Writer
Kim Motylewski is a print and radio journalist based in Cambridge. She has written about intersections of food, health and the environment for NPR’s Living on Earth and The Boston Globe. She can be reached at kmotyl@yahoo.com.Michael Piazza – Photographer
Michael Piazza (www.michaelpiazzaphotography.com) was born and raised and schooled in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2000 his photography career moved him to New York City. While working for such clients as Saveur, Food Arts, and The Australian Financial Review, Michael also contributed work to Slow Food USA and Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard. He has recently completed 2 cookbooks - Simple Italian Sandwiches and A Ligurian Kitchen. He currently lives in Watertown with his wife and two tail-less cats.

Elizabeth Gawthrop Riely – Writer
Elizabeth Gawthrop Riely edits the Radcliffe Culinary Times, newsletter of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard, on the history of food. Her dictionary, The Chef’s Companion (John Wiley & Sons), in print for 21 years, is now in its 3rd edition, marking changes in the edible landscape. You may find her at the Brookline or Newton Farmers’ Market.

Carole Topalian – Photographer

Edible Communities co-founder, Carole Topalian, travels the world with a finely tuned photographer's eye. Her ability to communicate through photographs brings the Edible Communities mission to life as visual feast, and the pages of our magazines and websites testify to this. In addition to her work as photographer for Edible Communities, Carole also serves as creative director for the company, ensuring the highest possible level of quality and consistency in each of our printed magazines and websites. During the 1980s, Carole owned a Los Angeles-based multimedia company where she produced several award-winning advertising and promotional campaigns for corporate America. In the 1990s, she did graduate work in depth psychology at Pacific Graduate Institute and left the corporate world behind. Today, she enjoys life in the very rural Ojai Valley, where she is able to ride her bike daily and garden at will. Her fine art photographs have been exhibited in over 70 shows throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Visit www.topalianphoto.com for more information.

Rachel Travers – Writer
Rachel Travers is a freelance food, lifestyle and travel writer who has contributed regularly to The Boston Globe for over 12 years, as well as a smattering of regional and national magazines and online sites like DailyCandy, Misstropolis and Spire. She is past president of  The Culinary Guild of New England, and currently on the Board of the Boston Public Market Association. She has been committed to "locally produced" for years. She lives in Lincoln with her daughter and can be reached at alphasoup2@aol.com.

Jessica Zdeb – Writer
Jessica Zdeb was, until recently, the Food Literacy Project Coordinator at Harvard University Dining Services where she cultivated an understanding of food from the ground up among employees, students and customers She's proud to have been the founder and manager of the Farmers' Market at Harvard, and excited to be heading off to learn more about food and agriculture for three months of travel and farming around France this year. She can be reached at zdeb@post.harvard.edu.

Alisa Zlotoff – Writer
Alisa Zlotoff recently obtained a master’s degree in geography from the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she wrote a thesis about organic dairy production in Colorado. Now a resident of Newton, MA, she works as a planner for a transportation consulting firm in Cambridge. This article is her first contribution to Edible Boston. Alisa may be contacted atalisa.zlotoff@gmail.com.