My work, whether it is designing curricula or conference programs, writing and editing, communication strategizing, or project managing, consists of translating theory into practice for maximum transformation of the culinary world into a more knowledgeable, sustainable, and equitable one.I hold a PhD in food studies from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism. My research focuses on the changing role of the chef in the 21st century and the global rise of chefs as thought leaders, whose influence over diners’ habits reaches much beyond the dining room. I teach undergraduate and graduate-level food studies courses for a range of institutions. I have co-authored seven books and am working on my first solo project, a dessert cookbook for Phaidon. I am chair of the James Beard Leadership Awards committee, a member of the Harvard-CIA Menus of Change Scientific and Technical Advisory Council and the Torribera Mediterranean Center's Culinary and Food Studies Council, and a past board member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society, New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, and Culinary Trust. I was named to the Heritage Radio Network Hall of Fame in 2019 and am a frequent presenter and moderator at conferences around the world. I emigrated from Switzerland.