About the Bloggers

Joe Yonan
Food editor Joe Yonan has eaten Rhode Island wieners (don’t call them hot dogs), Belgian “barbecue” and Japanese fugu, and once sampled 27 items from 23 carts in a five-day street-food extravaganza. But most nights, it’s a sweet potato topped with Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lime, or corn tortillas rolled around a fried egg and salsa. Yonan got the cooking bug from his West Texas mother, who let him shop for the family groceries starting at age 8 and indulged his demands to use her stand mixer (a precursor to the KitchenAid). A graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, he was a food and travel writer and editor at the Boston Globe before moving in 2006 to The Post, where in addition to editing the Food section he writes occasional features and the monthly “Cooking for One” column. His work appears in “Best Food Writing 2006 and “Best Food Writing 2007.”

Bonnie Benwick
The Beatles had it wrong: All you need is food. Deputy Food editor Bonnie Benwick learned that as the dutiful daughter of a Jewish cook, and still sees evidence of it every day. She edits recipes for the section and writes the weekly Dinner in Minutes column (plus features and the occasional Tool Test column), so her family and friends usually get a preview of whatever Post Food section readers will see. She’s the kind of cook who never makes chocolate chip cookies or chili the same way twice (there are so many versions to try…). Apart from recreational courses, Benwick’s experience is just like that of her readers, albeit with a much wider scope of places to shop for food and cookware. Kitchen sessions with chefs and cookbook authors, food activists and historians make this the best job she’s had in her 30-plus years of journalism.

Jane Black
To research her first food story, Jane Black spent the afternoon pairing eight wines with cheese. After that, there was no going back to straight news. Over the years, Black has lived and eaten her way through London, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Florence, Italy. She has written for national magazines and newspapers on such subjects as legal moonshine and how economic theory can help you find a good restaurant. A graduate of Leiths School of Food and Wine in London, Black joined The Washington Post as a staff writer in June 2007. She covers food trends, culture and policy. Her work appears in “Best Food Writing 2008.”

Leigh Lambert
Baking maven Leigh Lambert used to eat anything she could outrun. Her palate is more selective now (or maybe her pace has just slowed), but she still approaches every meal (and snack) with an adventurous spirit. “Wheat germ” and “tofu,” formerly words to fear, have now become a challenge. Her motto: Make it healthy, make it taste good and realize that every now and then nothing but an honest-to-goodness brownie will do. The Food section’s editorial aide, Lambert has worked as a pastry chef, has been on every side of the table with Occasions Caterers and is finishing a master’s degree in gastronomy through the University of Adelaide.

Other regular contributors:

Adrian Higgins
Higgins, garden editor for The Post's Home section, grows his own peas, garlic, onions, lettuce, radishes, carrots and more. Higgins is the author of "The Secret Gardens of Georgetown: Behind the Walls of Washington's Most Historic Neighborhood" and "The Washington Post Garden Book: The Ultimate Guide to Gardening in Greater Washington and the Mid-Atlantic Region."

Dave McIntyre
The Post’s wine columnist also writes Dave McIntyre’s Wine Line .

Monica Bhide
A frequent contributor to the Post and the author of “Modern Spice,” Bhide writes A Life of Spice.

Domenica Marchetti
Domenica is the author of "Big Night In" and "The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy." She can be reached through her Web site, www.domenicacooks.com.

Jane Touzalin
Jane is the eagle-eyed copy editor for the Food section and a frequent contributor.

Jason Wilson
Spirits columnist Jason Wilson is the editor of The Smart Set and Table Matters. He can be reached at jason@tablematters.com.