Chances are that something specific drew you to writing about food in the first place. Maybe it was history or politics, a fascination with wine, or a love of being in the kitchen. Focusing on a specialty can be both personally fulfilling and a boon to your career. In this panel, we’ll talk about how to figure out and market your niche, and when to stray from it.

MODERATOR

Joseph Hernandez is Senior Travel Editor at Thrillist. Previously, he’s held positions as Deputy Editor, Food & Dining, for the Chicago Tribune and digital editor at Wine Enthusiast magazine, but his long-winded career includes stints as cookbook assistant to celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson, and a retail manager and bartender for a boutique Brooklyn wine shop and bar. His byline has appeared in Afar.com, Conde Nast Traveler, Tribune Sunday Magazine, and Modern Luxury publications. He holds various certifications in wine, and he’s the happy father to a bashful hedgehog named Hedgewig.

PANELISTS

Katherine Clary is an editor, producer, and the author of a forthcoming book on natural wine coming out in 2019. When she's not producing photo and video content for brands, she makes The Wine Zine, a biannual publication about makers, purveyors, and drinkers of natural wine.

Daniela Galarza has been writing about cookbooks, chefs, cooking, and the business of food and restaurants for the past 10 years. Formerly of Eater and Los Angeles magazine, she now writes and consults on food-related projects in New York and Los Angeles. She’s also a trained pastry chef and recipe developer.

Therese Nelson is a chef, writer and founder of Black Culinary History, an organization she founded in 2008 as a way to connect chefs of color to preserve black heritage throughout the African culinary diaspora, to promote and share the work of her colleagues, and to preserve the legacy being constructed by black chefs for this next generation.