I’m Katherine and I’m an award-winning freelance journalist.
I’ve written about nature-based preschools for The New York Times; explored the history and future of Chelsea Market for Smithsonian; shed light on the common yet stigmatizing experience of miscarriage for The Washington Post; and questioned the relevance of the Certified Master Chef exam for Food & Wine. I’ve profiled a hand expression-evangelizing doula for New York Magazine’s The Cut and two pioneering female butchers for Martha Stewart. I have also written my share of SEO-driven articles and listicles, and selectively provide high quality content writing as well.
Though food has been my long time anchor—the lens through which I often view the world—I’d say that at my core I am a generalist who is driven by curiosity and an open mind. I’m just as comfortable taking a deep dive into Styrofoam recycling as I am writing about adventure playgrounds, just as happy reporting on a restaurant opening as I am interviewing experts about how to feng shui your bedroom.
A common thread throughout my work is a commitment to centering marginalized voices, to challenging common conceptions and institutions, and to finding interesting stories in unusual places. If I can shout out a restaurant run by immigrants, call out a bar for appropriation, or get suited up in a beekeeping suit to report on honey being made in an urban cemetery, then I feel that I’m doing my job.
Besides writing, I also develop original recipes for brands and publications including Serious Eats, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Mealthy, and The Forward. My original photographs often accompany my recipes. And I don’t just like doing my own thing, I enjoy testing recipes as well, have ghostwritten and photographed an award-winning cookbook, and in general love being involved at any step of the process. I credit my father, who cooked dinner in our cramped New York City kitchen every single night, with my love of food and cooking. There’s so much beauty to sharing a meal, such meditation through cooking, so much to learn through food.
Now that I’m a parent myself I hope to pass that appreciation on to my sons.
I graduated from Skidmore College Magna cum Laude with membership in the Phi Beta Kappa honors society and have my Masters in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. I am a proud member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and International Association of Culinary Professionals. In 2019, I was awarded the Best Business Article award by ASJA.
Although I was born and raised in New York City, I proudly live in Ann Arbor, MI where I now refer to places in “the mitten,” get excited to vote in a swing state, and live in a house for the first time ever. I enjoy gardening (but not weeding), kayaking, being outside as much as possible, reading, cooking, exploring local breweries and seeing live music with my husband, playing legos with my kids, and, of course, writing.
*Photo credits to Anna Dewitt Carson (top photo), Vibha Mahadeo (the two with my kids), and Vicky Wasik (me prepping on set for Serious Eats)*
Represented by The Lisa Ekus Group, LLC