I did my obligatory college tour back in 2000. Sixteen years old and interested in food, I scoured the country for academic programs that integrated food in the way in which it interested me. Did I want to go to culinary school? Absolutely not. Did I want to open a restaurant? Not really. What is the world could I want to do with food then?

It was a hard question to answer back in 2000. Nobody knew what the term gastronomy even meant, let alone the career trajectory of an aspiring gastronome. All I knew was that I wanted to enjoy food.

I wanted to help others get pleasure out of food, too (and not in the “pay $100 at a fancy restaurant” way). I wanted people to appreciate everything food had to offer: an opportunity to grow something, taste something, or to share food with friends or family. I figured that if we all have to eat every day, it may as well be something that we enjoy.

So after forging my own way through the food world – with an undergraduate degree in hospitality management from Cornell University, a Master in Food Culture from UNISG, and three years running the education department at the food mecca Murray’s Cheese – I realized that the most meaningful food work for me would be to enlighten others on opportunities to work in the world of food. There are so many more opportunities now than there were when I started my search ten years ago – in terms of education and careers – and with Good Food Jobs we'll give aspiring gastronomes a place to find them.

Good Food Jobs is a gastro-job search tool, designed to link people looking for meaningful food work with the businesses that need their energy, enthusiasm, and intellect. We’ll post opportunities with farmers and food artisans, policy makers and purveyors, retailers and restaurateurs, economists, ecologists, and more. Good Food Jobs will launch this summer. Spread the word.