I’ve always been fascinated by food. Ever since the early days of tugging at my mom’s apron strings and learning how to make a proper biscuit, I’ve gravitated toward the kitchen. Through the years, my at-home tutelage continued. One of my mom’s parting gifts when I left for college was an industrial-sized jar of jalapeños. After all, a little spice can add life to food.

But when I had my first glimpse of Big 10 university foodservice (ages ago…), I quickly found a job at my favorite restaurant in town so I could eat well through my college years at Purdue (thankfully, university foodservice has grown by leaps and bounds since then…).

That college stint in the back of the house at an Italian restaurant further fueled my fascination for food—understanding the feel of a good pizza dough, getting those deeply savory notes in the Bolognese just right. Deliciousness delivered through the details.

Early in my career as a writer, I landed on the West Coast, following small-scale commercial controlled-environment farming and greenhouse agriculture—still chasing food. In turn, that led me to the ingredients side of the industry, and into food industry trade publishing, where I’ve made my home now for over two decades.

And the fascination with food continues. There’s always something new to learn about how we engage with our food, from farm through processing and into our homes, restaurants, and schools.

I would imagine you carry some food fascination of your own. Perhaps that’s why so many of you find yourselves with a career in food.

I’m looking forward to hearing your pathways to the industry at the AAMP Annual Convention, taking place in Des Moines, IA on July 14 through 16 (full details here: https://www.aamp.com/aamp-convention). Or take a minute to drop an email, or comment below. I’d love to hear from you.