Stacy Brooks

Stacy Brooks grew up in a family of great cooks and enjoys finding new ways to mix traditional favorite flavors with healthier updated techniques. Most recently she's been excited to learn more about sustainable and locally grown foods around her home in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Amy Crone

A native of the Annapolis area, Amy Crone first became interested in local foods through visits to her aunt's bountiful vegetable garden. Her passion has grown and she now works at area farmers' markets, writes for the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance and participates in the Buy Fresh Buy Local Chesapeake Region campaign.

Kristen Dill

An award-winning Graphic Designer and Photographer, Kristen Dill has been photographing and designing for clients that believe in local and sustainable food and agriculture.  She grew up on a farm in Nebraska where her family grew and raised corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, cows, sheep, chickens, rabbits and a huge vegetable garden.  She now lives in Takoma Park, MD with a tiny vegetable garden.  Her email is kristen@dillandcompany.org.

Patrick Evans-Hylton

Patrick Evans-Hylton is a Virginia Beach-based chef, food historian and food educator. He is food editor for Hampton Roads Magazine, author of three food history books, and has a weekly cooking show on WVEC TV-13 in Hampton Roads. Contact him at: patrick@amediaevent.com

Şennur Fahrali

Sennur “Shenny” Fahrali was born and raised in Turkey, and has lived and traveled all over the world. She loves going to supermarkets, green grocers and farmers markets along with visiting museums and galleries.  “Seeing what they eat says a lot about a culture. No matter where we are in the world, we only eat the local food the way they eat it, which wasn’t always welcomed by my husband. I love good clean food and am willing to try anything. When I grow up I would love to become a person who can grow vegetables the way they are intended to be grown.”

Tamar Jacobs

Tamar Jacobs developed a passion for food and writing as a teenager working in local restaurants.  Today she’s a freelance writer focusing on food and culture.  She’ll receive her MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland in spring 2008.  Her favorite regional dish is her husband Tony’s spicy fried chicken.

Claudia Kousoulas

Claudia Kousoulas is a Bethesda-based freelance writer and author of Cast Iron Classics, forthcoming from Collectors Press.

Aletha Kuschan

Aletha Kuschan is an artist and writer whose career really took off after motherhood taught her the serious art of multi-tasking. She studied literature at University of Maryland and has studios in Washington, DC, and Hyattsville, MD.

Rina Rapuano

Freelance writer Rina Rapuano covers food and restaurants for many publications, including The Washington Post and Gourmet magazine. She was an editor for eight years—first for a business publication in Richmond, then at The Gazette in Prince George’s County—before striking out on her own to become a freelancer. She lives in Columbia Heights, D.C., with her husband, her 4-month-old baby boy and her two cats.

John Shields

John Shields is the author of Chesapeake Bay Cooking and Coastal Cooking with John Shields. He also stars in the PBS cooking show "Coastal Cooking with John Shields." His website is www.johnshields.com.

Mark Simonson

Aaron Springer

Aaron Springer is a multi faceted artist. His talents include photography, painting and mixed media works. Aaron is also an arts instructor specializing in programming for children. Being a local Marylander, Aaron grew up picking, catching and eating local apples, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, corn, crabs and fish from early age. He continues this tradition with his own family.

Carole Topalian

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.

Amy Undercoffler

Amy Undercoffler is editor-in-chief at the Washington, DC-based polling firm of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc.  She lives on Maryland's Eastern Shore with her husband and two cats.

Mary Zajac

Baltimore native Mary Zajac writes about food and wine, music, art, and the quirky. She is a columnist for Style and Chesapeake Life magazines, and her work has also appeared in Saveur, Maryland Life, and The Providence (R.I.) Phoenix. She holds a PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago.