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Contributors A good portion of ONTHERAIL's content comes from you, our readers, and a lot of it comes from the fertile minds of the founders, Gary Epting and Janet Fouts. Some very talented writers have been attracted to the site over the years, and have contributed to ONTHERAIL. Most of them work or have worked in the industry, and have a deep understanding of the issues and the stories that make this such a vibrant lifestyle. Here's some background on a few of our regular contributors. |
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Gary Epting Gary Epting is an internationally exhibited painter as well as a respected writer. Having an extensive knowledge of the restaurant scene in San Francisco has made him a sought after design consultant. Mr. Epting's interest in combining rich visuals with a strong sense of narrative is the force that drove him to the new media of the web. "I became interested in the computer when I realized how wonderfully vast the color space was. There are reds in that box that can't be found anywhere else." |
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Janet Fouts Janet Fouts has a deep knowledge of how and why things happen the way they do in the world's best kitchens. A chef with taste and an unerring eye for excellence she is a respected consultant on culinary and technical issues for a variety of sources. She is a frequent contributor to the Beard House Newsletter,and is often quoted in national publications, including the Industry Standard and Food Arts. As a chef with over 20 years of experience in the kitchen her writing brings into focus all the myriad factors that go into making a creative productive kitchen. As CEO of ONTHERAIL as well as one of the creative forces behind Tatu Digital Media she has forged a unique blend of the tradition of the restaurant world with the aesthetic of the Internet. |
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Debra Ginsberg Debra Ginsberg is author of the memoirs, Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress (HarperCollins, 2000), Raising Blaze: Bringing Up an Extraordinary Son in an Ordinary World (HarperCollins, 2002), and About My Sisters (HarperCollins, 2004). A graduate of Reed College, she is a contributor to NPR's All Things Considered and a regular reviewer for the San Diego Union-Tribune Books section. She lives in Southern California. |
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Anthony Bourdain Anthony Bourdain was born in New York City, attended high school at The Englewood School for Boys in New Jersey, utterly wasted two years at Vassar College seeking contolled substances, and graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He has worked in kitchens for more than twenty years as dishwasher, prep drone, line cook, sous chef, and chef. Currently the executive chef of Manhattan's brasserie Les Halles, his life in the restaurant business was the subject of his bestselling book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. He has written two previous novels, the satirical thrillers Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo, both of which are now available in trade paperback, and numerous short stories. Mr. Bourdain is a contributing authority for Food Arts Magazine, and has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Black Book, Town and Country, The Face, and others. He lives in New York with his wife Nancy. |
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Michelle Vernier Michelle Vernier is currently a line cook at Rialto restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in March 2000 and moved to the Boston area from her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. From her humble beginnings as a fry cook, she has worked in several restaurants across the country from Phoenix, Arizona to Petoskey, Michigan. Her part time classes at Northeastern University and the hours spent slaving in the kitchen keep her pretty busy, but she still finds time to write an occasional article. Any and all comments or questions can be sent to onthenod_19@hotmail.com |
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Matthew Meskel In the fall of 1999 I started tinkering with the concept of producing a comic strip seen through the eyes and ears of a restaurant. All syndicated comic strips use restaurant humor occasionally, (a couple even take place in one), but none of them ever really 'GET' the restaurant world. Having had at least one foot in the business since 1978 I took on the task to see if I could hit the nail on the head. The characters: Norma Jean is a conglomerate of every waitperson I have worked with over the years. She's a seasoned pro who expects the best, but knows better. Picasso is a chef/restuarateur who also happens to be a bull, (free range beef done well, if you will). Geeves is an excitable sock puppet who tends the bar. |
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Rebecca Chapa Rebecca Chapa owns Tannin Management, a San Francisco-based wine consulting firm whose clients include XYZ Restaurant at the W Hotel, Twenty Four Restaurant and Wines from Spain. Rebecca also writes freelance for Food & Beverage International, Spirits USA.com, SOMA Magazine, WorldWineTrade.com and Wine Business Monthly. She has just launched Wine by the Class, a series of wine classes designed to teach consumers and trade about wine. She has already completed the Higher Certificate and is one of a handful of Americans to have completed the Diploma course of study in pursuit of the Master of Wine. |
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Lisa Ekus Lisa Ekus is the founder and owner of Lisa Ekus Public Relations . The firm, founded in 1982, specializes in cookbook and culinary public relations for many of the major American publishers, chefs, and food product companies. The company creates press packages, arranges feature articles and author interviews with TV, radio, and press nationwide. The company also acts as a multimedia placement service matching food experts with corporations looking for product representatives, spokespersons, consultants and recipe developers. Lisa Ekus Public Relations Company was honored with an Award of Excellence from the International Association of Culinary Professionals in the Small Business/Entrepreneur category in 1995. The company was also part of the team which won a Silver Edison Award from the American Marketing Association for the introduction of Lipton's Kettle Creations Soup Mix. |
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Melinda Misuraca Melinda Misuraca is a pastry chef/freelance writer/student of culture/incurable deviant who lives in Healdsburg, California(the Other Wine Country). |
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Cory Marcus In 1996 I attended Johnson and Wales University in Miami, my hometown, and graduated Magna Cum Laude with nothing but passion for food in my heart. I spent 6 months on an externship at The Grove Park Inn in North Carolina and then moved to San Francisco where I worked for Judy Rodgers at Zuni Cafe. It was there that I truly learned about food and how to cook. In Los Angeles I worked for Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton at Campanile and later became the Head Chef at Nic's in Beverly Hills. It was an amazing experience and I could finally use my knowledge and experience to write my own menus. But, as usual, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for--the stress of restaurants was tearing my youth away from me. I decided to get into the private chef business. That is where I am now and I can honestly say it is amazing. The low key momentum may not be for everyone, but it works for me just fine; though I always keep an eye on the restaurant world and think about dipping my finger in... just a little. |
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Maggie Rosen Maggie Rosen was born and raised in Manhattan. In 1987, she, her sister and her mother went to L'Ambroisie in Paris, and when nobody could decide on dessert, the waiter brought them everything on the menu. She knew this would prove a defining moment. After graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, she spent about 10 years as a copywriter for international companies, with heavy emphasis on the 'international'. Based in London since 1997, she has been freelancing since 1999 and has written for Expedia Travel. The Industry Standard, Securities Industry News, Professional Investor, and the (Scotland) Sunday Herald. "I'm fascinated by every aspect of the food service and restaurant industries," she said. "I want to find out about the people who cook, serve, and sell food and what makes them tick. I now know there's a lot more to this business than L'Ambroisie--but that was not a bad introduction." |
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Jeremy Emmerson A native of Surrey, England, Ritz-Carlton, Chicago executive sous chef Jeremy Emmerson has been perfecting his culinary techniques on this side of the Atlantic for more than six years. Following graduation from Westminster Catering College in London, Emmerson spent three years immersing himself in the art of French cooking at, among other properties, the Four Seasons Inn On The Park, London. When he is not overseeing The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago's banquets and room service operations or lending his culinary expertise to The Dining Room, The Café or The Greenhouse, Emmerson is involved in all production elements of Globalchefs.com, the culinary online magazine written by chefs that he launched in May 2000. |
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Susie Biehler Susie Biehler created her PR agency in 1984 with a clear focus on representing select restaurant, food and hospitality clients. Now, with more than 25 years of experience in journalism, marketing, and public relations, she has achieved outstanding recognition both for her clients and for her agency's work. From the beginning, Susie Biehler & Co. has carefully honed its uniquely successful approach, which combines an emphasis on social responsibility and a commitment to developing her clients' visions for success. Because Biehler is deeply committed to community service, she has been instrumental in bringing about numerous mutually beneficial partnerships for her clients and the causes they support. She recognizes the restaurant industryÍs tremendous power to work collectively in giving back to the community, and believes that this industry has both the privilege and the mandate to nurture that potential. Biehler specializes in individual consultations on ways to enhance a company's vision. Persons interested in direct consultations may visit her company website at http://www.biehler.com. |
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