| The Comm Sheet
Sonoma’s Beauty Shines in Jiun Ho’s Restaurant Design
A reported feature exploring the design of Jiun Ho’s Enclos restaurant in Sonoma, focusing on architecture, interiors, and the relationship between design and dining.
Food & Drink Writing
Food and drink writing spanning restaurants, recipes, products, and lifestyle coverage. These samples reflect a service-oriented editorial approach grounded in audience needs.
| The Comm Sheet
Craft, Cuisine, and Culture Unite at Houston’s ChòpnBlọk
A reported feature on ChopnBlok’s Houston restaurant design by Gin Design Group, exploring interiors, branding, and culturally driven spatial storytelling.
| Eat This Not That
29 spring beverages hitting shelves this season
If you’re stuck at home in quarantine, it can be easy to fall into a routine. Cooking the same things, eating the same snacks—there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s fun to add some new flavors into the mix, too. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the newest drinks hitting store shelves […]
| Eat This Not That
Only 1970s kids will remember these restaurants
You probably have a go-to favorite restaurant, whether it’s a chain or just a local eatery in your town. But many food lovers also know the heartbreak that comes with your favorite restaurant closing for good. And if you grew up in the 1970s, you might have had to bid farewell to a number of […]
| Eat This Not That
The least popular fast-food chain in every state
We all have foods we love and hate—but fast food seems to create even stronger feelings of adoration or loathing. (After all, Taco Bell is so adored by fans, the brand was able to successfully launch a pop-up hotel and resort in Palm Springs in 2019.) And with most things these days, people often turn […]
| Eat This Not That
I tried 7 non-alcoholic spirits & this was the clear winner
“Non-alcoholic spirits” might sound like an oxymoron, but that shouldn’t stop you from giving them a try. Despite 2021 being one of the hardest years on record to make it through Dry January, there is a growing trend in going sober or being sober-curious. The good news about non-alcoholic spirits is that it doesn’t matter […]
| Eat This Not That
We taste-tested 8 instant coffee brands
With $7 lattes becoming the norm and boutique coffee shops around every corner, it’s easy to become a coffee elitist. And if you fancy yourself a coffee snob, you may look past instant coffee blends. But instant coffee has made strides in the past few years. And with new brands offering up varieties and bringing an […]
| Eat This Not That
We tried 8 spinach artichoke dips & this is the best
If you go to any American-style chain or hometown restaurant throughout the U.S., there’s one thing you’re bound to see on the appetizer menu: spinach artichoke dip. The great thing about this favorite food is that it’s versatile. Yes, it’s an “appetizer,” but you could make it a meal. You can have it with tortilla […]
| Eat This Not That
Only 1990s kids will remember these restaurants
Ah, the 1990s. People were still using dial-up internet connections, frosted tips were in style, and boy bands were all the rage. But fast forward a few years, and you’ll see that the decade wasn’t always kind. These 1990s restaurants may be familiar to people who grew up in the decade, but they aren’t what […]
| Eat This Not That
17 new snacks hitting shelves this spring
Almonds, popcorn, cheese sticks… sometimes the same ol’ snacks can get a bit, well, stale. Don’t have time to peruse the grocery store shelves to find the hottest new items? Don’t worry—we’ve done it for you. Here, we’ve rounded up the best new sweet and savory foods that are hitting the supermarket shelves this spring. With all of […]
| Grok Nation
An expert says this summer wine goes with ‘salty skin and sunburns’
There are 158 master sommeliers in the world—and only 25 of those are women. Even though we feature female sommeliers each week, it’s still a male-driven field in many ways. But Roni Ginach, sommelier of Michael’s Santa Monica, says that’s not where the exclusion ends. “There are also very few queer sommeliers and even fewer […]
| Grok Nation
HelloFresh helped me learn to use my broiler
You’ve probably heard of HelloFresh from every single former Bachelorette. Of all the meal subscription boxes, it’s one of the most present on social media. Every time I open Instagram, I see some bright smiling face in a HelloFresh apron telling me how easy it is for them to make dinner now. I was ready […]
| Grok Nation
Wine expert Monika Elling recommends a rosé with strawberry flavors
There are very few wine jobs that Monika Elling doesn’t do: As the founder and CEO of Foundations Marketing Group, an NYC brand development agency, she helps wine producers with crafting blends, labels, and marketing strategies. As the founder of The Paradigm Collection, she’s a fine wine importer. And as the author of Wine 123: […]
| Grok Nation
Hearth wine director Christine Wright recommends a summer red
The phrase “a one-woman show” is often thrown around to describe women who kick butt at their jobs—but for wine director Christine Wright, that’s an apt descriptor. Without any sommeliers on staff—or even someone to help in the cellar—Christine is “the end-all-be-all” of her wine program at NYC’s Hearth, James Beard Award-winning chef Marco Canora’s […]
| Grok Nation
Home Chef is the best box for quick meals
After testing five meal subscription boxes, I’ve learned that they’re not that different. You get the box (some are doing a better job of making their packaging eco-friendly than others), you prepare the food, and you eat it. Do meal kits suddenly make you enjoy cooking if you’ve simply tolerated it before? In my case, […]
| Grok Nation
A New Zealand winemaker introduces us to a female-focused brand
Although we’ve featured quite a few young sommeliers in Wine of the Week, none got their start quite as early as Rebecca Wiffin, a New Zealand winemaker. “I guess you could say I’ve been involved in the New Zealand wine industry since I was 3 years old,” she tells Grok Nation. “That’s when our family […]
| Grok Nation
Sommelier Monique Wise tells us all the wines fit for Mother’s Day
Our Wine of the Week column gives us the opportunity to feature females in the industry. So when the Grok Nation team had dinner at NYC restaurant Marta, and we were served by Monique Wise, a very knowledgeable sommelier—we knew we had to ask for her picks. As informative as she was about wine, Monique […]
| Grok Nation
Plated is our favorite meal kit box yet
There are so many food meal services on the market; some claim to make dinner prep faster; others profess to save you money; and many will apparently teach you to cook like a pro. We’ve been on a mission to test out these claims. We’ve tried out Blue Apron, Green Chef, and Dinnerly. I feel […]
| Grok Nation
This rosé may have inspired the phrase ‘rosé all day’
Being a business owner, chef, restaurateur, mom and wife is a balancing act and a lot of work,” chef Samantha Carroll tells us. And when she says “a lot of work,” she isn’t kidding. Right after graduating from culinary school in 2010, Sam opened Hot Tails—a restaurant in New Roads, Louisiana—with her husband, Cody. It […]
| Grok Nation
Try these ‘Inspiring Women’ cocktail recipes
What makes an already yummy cocktail even more delicious? When it’s made with spirits produced under female leadership and inspired by badass women. This Spring the NoMo SoHo Hotel in NYC is running an “Inspiring Women” cocktail promotion. From monarchs to mathematicians, each of the six drinks pays tribute to females who changed modern history—and […]
Dalene Rovenstine
Writer, editor, and content marketing leader with a journalism background and experience across media and brand platforms