Rachel Roddy is a British food writer and cookbook author based in Rome, Italy, where she has lived since 2005. She is known for her weekly column, “A Kitchen in Rome,” in The Guardian, where she shares stories and recipes inspired by Roman and Sicilian home cooking. Roddy’s first book, Five Quarters: Recipes and Notes from a Kitchen in Rome, was published in 2015 and won the André Simon Memorial Fund Food Book Award and the Guild of Food Writers’ First Book Award. Her second book, Two Kitchens: Family Recipes from Sicily and Rome, was released in 2017, followed by An A-Z of Pasta in 2021, which explores the diverse world of Italian pasta shapes and their corresponding recipes. In addition to her writing, Roddy has contributed to various publications, including the Financial Times, Food52, Food and Wine, The Spectator, The Telegraph, and Olive Magazine.

Sasha is an artist, designer and educator who works with plant-based color and natural palettes. Sasha centers her practice and research on the collaborative color potential of weeds, food and floral waste, and local and seasonal ingredients. Teaching for over a decade at California College of Arts with a joint appointment in Textiles and Fine Arts, Sasha lectures, consults and widely designs curriculum and courses in the intersection of natural color, slow food, slow fashion and social practice. In 2007, Sasha founded Permacouture Institute to encourage the exploration of regenerative design practices for fashion and textiles. From “Dinners to Dye For” to “Weeding Your Wardrobe” and “Seasonal Color Wheels” her extensive work with plant-based color palettes has been featured in the New York Times, American Craft Magazine, Domino, Elle Decor Uk, Selvedge, and the Huffington Post.

Sasha is the author of The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes (Timber Press/Workman 2011), Natural Color (Watson-Guptill/Ten Speed Press 2016), and Natural Palettes (Princeton Architectural Press 2020).

Letitia is a classically trained chef with a love of home cooking. After following her heart (and stomach) to Sardinia in 2016 after a career in some of London’s top restaurants, she began writing about the food she loved: the simple, seasonal food of Sardinia. Her first book, Bitter Honey, was published in 2020 to wide critical acclaim; her second book (La Vita e Dolce) dealt with Dolci of all varieties, and her latest book, Wild Figs and Fennel (published in April 2024) is an ode to simple, seasonal cooking. Her next book, all about Lemons, will be published in Summer 2025. She has acted as Stanley Tucci’s guide to Sardinia in his Searching for Italy series, and teaches cooking workshops all over Europe as well as in her own home in Sardinia. Her books and writing have appeared in the Corriere della Sera, The Times and The New York Times.

Artist, author and teacher, Samatha Dion Baker is known for her detailed illustrations and her daily sketch journal that she shares regularly on Instagram. She graduated from Cooper Union in New York City and spent more than twenty years working as a graphic designer with many iconic institutions including The Whitney Museum of Art, St. Regis Hotels Resorts, and The Shaker Museum. Some of her illustration clients include The High Line Hotel, Atelier Cologne, Kikkerland Design, Blackwing, and Gloria Steinem. Samantha’s self-published daily sketch journals are on permanent collection at The Morgan Library at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she is the author of Draw Your Day, Draw Your World, and Draw Your Day For Kids! Originally from Philadelphia, Baker lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband and two sons.

Annemarie O’Sullivan is an Irish basketmaker and designer based in the South of England, known for creating woven objects that reflect the natural materials she cultivates and gathers by hand. She grows around twenty varieties of willow and works with coppiced wood, crafting pieces that honor both land and tradition. Rooted in the strength of agricultural baskets and shaped by the curves of the landscape, her work draws deeply from ancient techniques and endangered crafts. From domestic baskets and lighting to large-scale woven forms, Annemarie’s practice is grounded in heritage and inspired by the timeless language of weaving and binding. Collaboration and play are central to her creative process, always underpinned by meticulous craftsmanship. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Irish Times, and Country Living, among others.

Annemarie is the founder of Salt Water Farm Cooking School, located on her family’s farm on the coast of Maine (USA) and author of two cookbooks: Modern Country Cooking and Full Moon Suppers. Annemarie believes that good cooking has nothing to do with fancy equipment, complicated recipes, or hard-to-find ingredients. The fundamentals are really quite simple: it’s all about instinct, technique, and freshness. Annemarie has been teaching at her cooking school for over a decade and believes that developing these essential skills can lead to a greater sense of confidence and fulfillment in the kitchen. Join her in Sicily for a week of modern country cooking and a series of delicious meals inspired by this unique and stunning location.

David Tanis is a celebrated chef and author known for his seasonal, market-driven approach to cooking. He spent many years at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, where he served as co-chef and head baker. Tanis has authored several acclaimed cookbooks, including A Platter of Figs and David Tanis Market Cooking, and was a longtime food columnist for The New York Times. His cooking philosophy emphasizes simplicity, tradition, and fresh, local ingredients. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he is chef-partner at Lulu, a restaurant connected to the Hammer Museum and inspired by the values of sustainable cuisine.

Sarah Owens is a James Beard Award–winning author, baker, and founder of Ritual Fine Foods, known for her focus on heirloom grains, fermentation, and traditional preservation methods. Originally trained as a horticulturist at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she brings a botanical lens to her culinary work. Her debut cookbook, Sourdough, won the James Beard Award and reflects her passion for seasonal baking using long fermentation techniques. Owens has since authored Toast & Jam and Heirloom, blending personal storytelling with time-honored food practices. Through workshops and international collaborations, including a bakery project supporting Syrian refugees in Lebanon, she promotes food as both nourishment and cultural connection. Her work invites a deeper understanding of terroir, tradition, and the healing power of naturally fermented foods.

Claire Thomson is a Bristol-based chef, food writer, and author known for her vibrant, family-focused approach to cooking. After working in professional kitchens around the world, she shifted her focus to food writing and home cooking following the birth of her three children. Her debut cookbook, The Five O’Clock Apron, was widely praised for its accessible and nutritious family meals. She has since published ten cookbooks, including One Pan Beans, Art of the Larder, and Home Cookery Year. Claire is a regular contributor to national publications and often appears on food programs such as Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch. Her work encourages everyday cooks to embrace seasonal, vegetable-led dishes that bring joy to the table.

Julia Sherman is a Los Angeles–based artist, photographer, cook, and author known for blending the worlds of art and food. Her debut cookbook, Salad for President: A Cookbook Inspired by Artists, features over 75 vegetable-forward recipes alongside interviews with artists, architects, and musicians. In 2021, she published Arty Parties, a book that reimagines entertaining as playful, inclusive, and creatively driven. Sherman also runs the long-standing Salad for President platform and has created public food-focused installations at institutions like MoMA PS1 and the Getty Museum. She holds a BFA from RISD and an MFA from Columbia, and her mixed-media art background informs her vibrant culinary aesthetic. Through her writing and events, Sherman inspires readers to treat food as a medium for connection, creativity, and joy.

is a renowned culinary traveler and storyteller who founded Peggy Markel’s Culinary Adventures over thirty years ago. She began her career in Italy in the early 1990s, helping establish the Ligurian School of Poetic Cooking in 1993 and later championing the Slow Food and farm‑to‑table movements in the U.S. Peggy designs immersive, small‑group culinary journeys across Europe, North Africa, and India, seamlessly weaving history, poetry, and hands‑on cooking into each experience. In 1998, she began collaborating with Anna Tasca Lanza and has returned regularly to teach and explore Sicilian cuisine ever since. With deep-rooted relationships spanning farmers, chefs, and artisans, her programs feel like travel with friends, enriched by local hospitality and genuine connection. Peggy splits her time between a 16th‑century palazzo in Florence and a home in Boulder, Colorado, and has been recognized repeatedly as a Condé Nast Traveler Top Specialist.

Emiko Davies is an Australian-Japanese food writer, photographer, and cookbook author based in Tuscany, Italy, where she has lived for over two decades. She is the author of six cookbooks, including Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence, Acquacotta, Tortellini at Midnight, and Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking, which won the Fortnum & Mason Cookery Book of the Year award in 2023. Emiko contributes to publications such as Corriere della Sera and Food52, and she has written for The Guardian, Gourmet Traveller, and Condé Nast Traveller. In 2023, she and her sommelier husband opened Enoteca Marilu in San Miniato, offering cooking classes and a natural wine bar. Emiko’s work explores both Italian and Japanese culinary traditions, reflecting her multicultural heritage and passion for regional cooking.

Renee Erickson is a James Beard Award–winning chef, restaurateur, and author based in Seattle, Washington. She is the founder of Sea Creatures, a restaurant group that includes acclaimed establishments such as The Walrus and the Carpenter, The Whale Wins, Bar Melusine, Bateau, Barnacle, and General Porpoise Doughnuts and Coffee . Erickson began her culinary career at Boat Street Café, where she worked as a server before purchasing the restaurant at age 25 . Her cooking style blends the flavors of the Pacific Northwest with European influences, emphasizing simple, seasonal ingredients . In addition to her culinary ventures, she has authored two cookbooks: A Boat, a Whale & a Walrus and Sunlight & Breadcrumbs, which reflect her artistic background and passion for creative cooking . Erickson also co-founded Price Erickson, a restaurant design firm, contributing to the aesthetic and ambiance of her dining establishments.

Sophie is an Australian food writer and cookbook author. She lives on a farm four hours west of Sydney with her family, and for over 20 years now, she has taught, written and advocated for a way of cooking that is always, always driven by the season. As a farmer and food writer, she writes about, teaches, and celebrates the produce and producer as the star of every meal, and her food is relaxed, colourful and delicious.

She is currently writing her sixth cookbook, co-hosts a podcast about cooking and reading (Something to Eat and Something to Read), writes a weekly newsletter called What Should I Cook this Weekend and above all, she believes in simple, tasty and seasonal food made with love and shared generously.

is a California born, New York City–based chef, a four-time James Beard Foundation Award finalist, and the author of More Than Cake, which was a New York Times Best Cookbooks of 2023 as well as a 2023 James Beard Foundation finalist.

Much of her pastry work explores the relationship between baking and social justice, including ongoing collaborations with seminal New York City institutions like Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, God’s Love We Deliver, the Brigid Alliance, and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, for whom she produced a massive city-wide bake sale, raising more than $200,000 between 2017 and 2024.

Pickowicz’s recipes and writing have been published in the New York Times, Vogue magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Food & Wine, New York magazine, Cherry Bombe, and many other publications. Follow her on Instagram at @natashapickowicz.