About
Publisher & Creative Director: Judi Gallagher | www.judigallagher.com
A graduate of Johnson & Wales, Judi has managed and owned restaurants in the Northeast and was the founder of a successful dessert company. Today, she is a sought-after restaurant consultant, TV chef and is a freelance culinary editor, spa editor, and Luxury travel editor for several publications. Her personal passions are culinary travel to exotic places and holiday cooking in her home for huge gatherings of friends and relatives. Her guilty pleasure? Bruce Springsteen concerts. "I follow him around the country and have for years," she admits. "But, in every city where Bruce sings, I do check out new restaurants and talk to up-and-coming chefs. I want all the food news I can get." Judi is also the author of the popular cookbook “Reflections and Recipes of Chef Judi.” Follow her on twitter @Chefjudi and Youtube @Chefjudigallagher and Instagram @Chefjudigallagher
Marsha Fottler (Editor emeritus)
Marsha has been a newspaper and magazine food and lifestyle writer first in Boston and since the early 1970s in Florida. She regularly contributes to regional and national publications with articles on food, culinary history, trends, chef profiles and restaurant design. She is a frequent lecturer on the restaurant experience. "Food is history, culture, the livelihood of many and the pleasure of all," she believes. "For many people food may be the primary reason friends and family gather together to share experiences, express love, argue and make memories. Whenever people gather around a table anywhere in the world to eat, talk and laugh, only good things can come of it."
Internet Media Director: Jim Galiano | www.jimgaliano.com
Jim Galiano started his first online business in 1998. His consulting, web development and email marketing services are used by businesses in the U.S., UK, Australia and Ireland. Jim has authored over a dozen business publications and has been interviewed by a variety of media sources including the Wall Street Journal and CBS News in NYC.
Contributors:
Doc Lawrence - Contributing Writer
Doc Lawrence is a long-time contributor to My Cooking Magazine. A former editor of The Nationwide News, his popular columns on wine, food, drinks, the arts and lifestyles appear in many publications regularly. Doc was recently named as wine and food editor of Los Angeles-based Hollywood International People. His play, “Requiem for a Wine Taster,” debuts in Atlanta in 2023. Contact Doc on Facebook or doclawrence@mindspring.com.
Lori Rodgers - Contributing Writer
Lori’s passion for food and fine dining began at an early age. She started reading Gourmet at 8, and was fortunate to have a father who included her in his travels to cities across the US, often frequenting restaurants she had read about in the magazine. After studying hotel and restaurant management at FSU for two years and thoroughly enjoying the summer program in Switzerland, she graduated with a degree in International Business with a minor in Spanish.
Lori owned and operated the family business, Bert Rodgers Schools of Real Estate for 25 years, indulging her cooking hobby by whipping up meals for family and friends on the weekends. She has two teenagers who have adopted a vegan lifestyle, adding a new challenge to Lori’s cooking repertoire. Lori recently sold the business and is embarking on a new chapter and new career, returning to her true calling, cooking, and exploring the multifaceted world of food!
Debbi Benedict - Contributing Writer
A Midwesterner by birth, but a Floridian for the past almost 40 years, Debbi Benedict has been a longtime magazine columnist and an even longer edible landscaping enthusiast. Her definition of an edible landscape is, “Food for myself; the birds, bees, and butterflies; and most importantly, for my soul.”
As a young girl, her love of the lore and accessibility of herbs started her on her gardening journey. Upon her move to Florida, her gardening world exploded as she was introduced to the magical tastes of tropical fruit trees and the value of native plants. Now her quarter acre yard, known as Benhaven Farm, flourishes with over 100 fruit trees, shrubs, and vines, and an unknown number of native flowering plants.
Joan Cooper - Contributing Writer
A native of Florida, Joan has lived in the mid Atlantic for the past 8 years. She has traveled extensively across Europe, South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, learning about the cuisines of each region along the way. She thinks that the mid Atlantic region has an amazing variety of dining options and offers a unique flavor that no other part of the country can offer!
Sammi Battista - Photographer, Videographer, Social Media Creative Manager
Sammi Battista is a Sarasota native and has been working in the photography/videography field since she was 15 years old. Starting as a photography assistant in 2010 for her mother’s photography business, Celestial Studios Photography, she took over the business in 2017.
During High School, Sammi attended Suncoast Technical College and took a class called Digital Video Production. Here she found her passion for storytelling and being “behind the lens.” After graduating 2013, Sammi accepted her first job at WWSB Abc7 as a freelance audio operator. She quickly climbed the ladder and became a full-time Photojournalist. During her time at ABC, Sammi’s passion for video production for restaurant reviews, visits to the farms, bakeries and BBQ throw downs made her a natural to start working with Chef Judi Gallagher.
In 2018 Sammi made a major career move becoming a Television Specialist for Sarasota County Government along with working as Chef Judi’s photographer, videographer, social media creative manager and professional food taster.
Fifi O'Neill - Contributing Writer | https://www.fifioneill.com/
Fifi O’Neill is an editor, producer, and an interior photo stylist who has produced features for numerous national and international magazines.
Fifi’s passion for animals, especially those abandoned, abused, and in need of a caring home compelled her to produce RESCUE ME: Love Stories of Humans and the Animals they Saved. Though she financed the book herself she is giving 100% of the proceeds to animal shelters and rescues. To date, thanks to the sales, she has been able to provide funding to over 200 shelters and rescues.
Sharon Pritchard - Contributing Writer
Sharon Pritchard's varied careers all over the globe make her the ideal international culinary travel writer. Her first occupation was that of a French telephonist at the Continental GPO telephone exchange in London in the days way before direct dialing! Then, she was a tour guide with American Express and the travel industry became her love for the next 15 years until life led her in a different direction - pub, restaurant and hotel management in the UK. Crossing the Atlantic, she spent 10 years in Sarasota, Florida where she owned and operated a motel on Siesta Key, during which time she also owned a British import store. After returning to the UK, Sharon once again turned to pub and restaurant management running three country inns and a hotel in Kent. During that time, she also edited website content, books, essays for local businesses and students. Ten years ago she qualified as a teacher of English as a second language and taught a variety of students, children and adults from a multitude of nations. Retiring to Normandy, France two years ago enabled Sharon to embrace a passion, cooking and entertaining. With Paris just two hours from her home, Sharon now conducts private tours of that vibrant city as well as tours of the World War II Normandy Landing Beaches. And she still continues to teach English as a second language.
Anna Dantoni - Contributing Writer
Here is a woman who never saw a cookbook or culinary history book she didn’t want to hug, read and tell the world about. Reviewing books for Flavors & More is a guilty pleasure for this book club member and hunter of obscure food books in stores of pre-owned books. She loses count of how many food books she evaluates a year, but reveals that she cooks at least one recipe from every book she reviews to make sure that the recipes make sense and that the instructions are sound and easy to follow for the home cook. Her favorite type of food book? “That’s easy,” said Anna in a rare moment of divulging anything about her private life. “I love culinary mysteries, you know the ones where the author serves up the murderer along with about a dozen delicious recipes for me to try. I can’t yummy up enough of them.”
Past Contributing Photographer:
Rod Millington
www.rodmillington.com
infocus333@comcast.net