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christina arneson, editorial director
christina spent 17 years working in traditional publishing with her last position as Director at Simon & Schuster. previous to that she had been recruited from Putnam by the Walt Disney Company to become one of the 20 founding members of Hyperion, their newly established trade publishing division. she spent 6 years there developing the publishing program and it's imprints to great success.
having hit the pinnacle of her career inside publishing companies, christina decided to move into agenting, with one goal in mind--to work with, develop, and nurture new writers. christina's first client, a previously unpublished 24-year old writer--was nominated for the national book award. christina's clients went on to a variety of fame--bestseller lists, Oprah appearances, and numerous awards--but they all had one thing in common...not one of them had ever even been published before seeking her help.
christina is also the author of two well received books--one a bestseller, has ghostwritten numerous others, and will this year see the publication of her awaited title, How To Manufacture a Bestseller, Mastering the Four Components.
having grown up in a restaurant family, this project combines christina's two greatest loves--books and cooking--and utilizes her greatest expertise--pulling books together, creating buzz, and finding unique distribution avenues.
karen harvey, culinary director
karen thanks her mother for giving her the inspiration to go to culinary school and supporting her in gaining entrance into the most famed culinary school in the United States, The Culinary Institute of America in New Hyde Park, NY.
after graduation, karen worked in a variety of positions that utilized the skills she learned at the CIA--from private chef to sous chef to cook at a camp for underprivileged kids to recipe tester at Trader Joe's....Karen has spent 23 years enhancing what she learned in school and is proud to now move into cookbook publishing as a natural progression of her career. Click here for more.
dariele, managing editor
dariele graduated from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education where she studied Communications and Media. she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, is a certified teacher with The State of New York in Secondary English, a published writer, and a photographer. she is also the former assistant editor of South Of The Highway magazine with distribution throughout New York City and the Hamptons. for the past 7 years, she has has worked as a Special Events Planner, working on a variety of projects from small scale dinner parties to large scale events. her forthcoming book, 'One DIsh Wonders' combines her talents as both writer and photographer.
jan, senior editor, book development
jan bio tk
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carol, culinary consultant & sommelier
carol bio tk
As a writer specializing in third world poverty, microfinance, and travel, Carol Stigger has eaten her way through more than 30 countries daring to dine at roadside stalls as well as five-star hotels. From cooking schools in Italy to drastic curries in India, Carol brings a world of literary, culinary, and cultural experience to Stand Up Cooking. Yet she continues to seek the gold standard for macaroni and cheese. For non-cooking news, visit her Web site: www.stiggerink.com where she and her politically incorrect dog have blogs.
from Carol's first book with StandUp&Cook...
THE THINGS I LEAVE BEHIND
I've locked the suitcase and hoisted my backpack onto my shoulders. As usual, it is too heavy and the straps dig trenches in my skin. With a shove, it will fit in the overhead bin of the jet. I avoid looking in the bedroom mirror. Looking like a grandmother is okay, but I am afraid I will start talking to me like I am my mother. Doing something new at my age is as inevitable and as difficult to defend as the drastic life change I made at forty when I went from farm-town wife to foreign reporter. But now I know the risks and that this journey will change me in ways I cannot imagine now. The woman in the mirror will tell me I have done enough. She will tell me that it is time to settle down, gather up my memories to drape around my children and their children to comfort them when nothing seems to change and one day seems like the next. Isn't that what matriarchs are for, to warm the chilly places of the heart with wisdom articulated over a teapot covered with a hand knit cozy?
I do not knit. The only time "neat" applies is the way I take my whiskey. I don't match socks or fold sweaters, count change or arrange spices in alpha order. Loose ends tickle me like a Latin lover with a peacock feather. Every trip I lose an attitude or several along with shoes, shampoo, and tee shirts. People like me are born messy, disorganized. We never learn to look before we leave. Once, this trait embarrassed me, but now it eases me into the chaos, a kindred spirit rather than a church lady clucking up a clothing drive to cover bare breasts in the tropics.
The story is not the souvenirs. The story is the things I leave behind. I’ve littered the world with grief over my dead mother; rage at my ex-husband, anger at my father, my aunt, a friend; fear of growing old; and a once unspeakable pain. Each loss frees me to more fully embrace my global family; no matter what language they speak, no matter how strange their ways. And through these encounters, I unburden myself.
If there is a tea cozy in my future, that's another book. This is the book I am leaving behind for my children to read. Perhaps it will explain why I am not ready to commandeer the rocking chair and appoint myself the benign and comforting presence thirty-something adults expect in a parent. I am not wise enough to steer them through their midlife crises. I want them to discover there is a journey they need to take, a vessel they must board with their name on it, not mine. I want them to learn to travel light and to not be afraid to lose the baggage that stands between them and a fully lived life.
My tea cozy stories are on the other side of India and maybe beyond that. At fifty, that's scary to admit, but fear never stopped me before. My plane ticket is in my backpack, my passport is in my hand. The limo driver has delivered me to the airport before and greets me like an old friend. Halfway to O'Hare, I yell, “Oh, No!” The driver nods as I explain that I forgot to pack aspirin, toothpaste, my Swiss army knife. He reaches under the seat, hands me the paperback book and granola bars I left in his car on my way to Sierra Leone.
"You're the woman who leaves things behind," he says.
"Yes, sir. That's me."
Mei is a modern day renaissance woman. While on a quest for her soul, she stumbled across the meaning of life, discovering it was simply: to experience living. Amidst that epiphany, she made the decision to set out and do just that. She’s spent over a decade studying, learning, and dabbling in just about everything life’s thrown across her path. She writes for both the eyes and the ears, of the journeys she’s had, the privileges to embark upon, as well as the wisdom she’s inherited from them. Also an artist, her works have left permanent marks on people across the globe. A firm believer in, “That which does not kill you, makes you stronger," she’s learned to adapt to most situations, moments of crisis, financial hardship, and even times of misplaced contentment with peace, laughter and deep inner joy. Her goal in life is to live and inspire by example, touching as many hearts and minds as possible. If she manages to provoke a whole bunch of smiles and laughter in the process? Well, she’ll just giggle herself to sleep at the end of every day.
mei, associate editor/columnist, confusion
Jerry Dog styles in a new hat
Jenny Russell lives and works in Phoenix, Arizona. Although she loves the smell of creosote and the availability of inexpensive Mexican food, she remains unimpressed with Southwestern home décor. When she isn’t grimacing at sombrero-shaped placemats or ceramic coyotes, Jenny enjoys cooking, reading, writing, and mountain biking. She is interested in the spaces where cuisine, comfort and community intersect. She detests snobbery and is consistently offended by all forms of elitism. If you give her ten dollars, Jenny can make a healthy, easy, and delicious vegan meal that will feed four people or more. Jenny’s parents are also foodies, and it’s from them that she got her passion for great food on the cheap. They had her sauteeing bell peppers by the time she was in kindergarten and using roux by the time she was eight. She looks forward to sharing her kitchen.
