Lyn Dacanay:  Hearty Hosting Fare
Lyn Dacanay graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in English literature. She thought she would be a writer, chef, or travel editor, but ended up in high tech instead. She's currently devising plans to take over Martha Stewart's empire.

Debbie Epstein:  Science and Art in the Kitchen
Debbie Epstein is the owner of Debbie Does Dinner, a full service catering company specializing in delicious homestyle cuisine, located in San Francisco, California. Baking is in Debbie's blood; the original Betty Crocker was her ancestor. Debbie's mother reports that "cookie" was Debbie's first word.

Dory Hudspeth:  Coffee First;  Funeral Food
Dory L. Hudspeth is an herbalist and co-owner of a business writing firm in Kentucky. Her poetry has appeared in a number of publications including Poet Lore, Thema, Wavelength, Potpourri, and Now & Then.

Anne Jennings:  East vs. West: A Search for the Perfect Chowder
Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Anne Jennings now lives and writes in San Jose, California. She is a recipient of an Academy of American Poets prize, and her work has appeared in ZYZZYVA.

Rikke Jorgensen:  A Taste of France
Rikke Jorgensen is a San Francisco-based freelance writer. Her work has appeared in many publications including The San Francisco Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, the San Antonio Express-News, Eurowoman, and Our Animals, the San Francisco SPCA magazine. This essay was previously published on KineticTravel.net.

Erik Leavitt:  Fox;  His name is like a ham sandwich
Erik Leavitt is a graduate of Macalester College with degrees in English and classics. Currently he works as a night auditor in Duluth, Minnesota.

Mark Palermo:  The Odd Success of the Food Film
Mark Palermo an award-winning film critic and freelance writer whose works have appeared in Canadian Screenwriter and The Coast. He presently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ana Schwartzman:  A Full Set of Teeth
Ana Schwartzman is a writer and teacher living in San Francisco. She has written for food, health, and technology publications and is currently working on a collection of personal essays. She gets her Latin temper from her Argentine mother and some of her best recipes by accosting strangers in the grocery store.

Maureen White:  Winter Dinner for Six
Maureen White currently resides in Manhattan, but is proud to be from Flint, Michigan. She is an actor and host of a local cable television talk show. She cooks whenever she can and is currently working on a line of sophisticated comfort food.