Great Taste Magazine

Welcome to Great Taste Magazine, the premiere connection to all the key decision makers in our local Southern California restaurant industry. Each month our 10 year-old full-color trade publication reaches thousands of the area’s top restaurant owners, general managers, executive chefs and buyers. Take a tour through the magazine. Each issue features a restaurant and local chef, and is packed with the timeliest information, critical operational tips and other industry news important to our readers.

Update! Even in these tough economic times, it’s clear our readers still have Great Taste! We’re happy to announce that our circulation has increased and we’d like to thank each and every one of our readers for helping make Great Taste Magazine the go-to source for Orange County restaurant information.

Subscribers:
Great Taste Magazine: 4,800
E-subscribers:
Foodie Newsletter: 3,800
Industry Newsletter: 2,500

If you’d like to join in on the fun, let us know! Click here to send us an email (please enter which you’d like to subscribe to in the subject line).

Teri Williams - Editor in Chief

Teri Williams has her finger on the pulse of the local hospitality industry like no one else. Seven years as editor and publisher of Orange County’s only hospitality trade magazine combined with her consultancy for the non-profit sector and her public relations expertise give Williams a far-reaching, varied and unique perspective of the industry. Besides her esteemed Great Taste publication, she has extensive experience in the travel industry (retail agent and wholesale), event planning and volunteerism. Williams has contacts around the globe in the restaurant, hotel, media and travel trades. She has also been applauded for her enthusiastic charity work and has chaired numerous chef, food and wine events on behalf of local non-profit organizations, for which she has helped garner more than $1 million in donations through the years. Known for her unflagging enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit, “can do” attitude and joie de vivre, Williams is a constant presence and authority on the OC culinary and hospitality scene.

Contributors

Great Taste would not exist without our enthusiastic and generous contributors, which is why we want to turn the spotlight on them! We’ve got chefs and students, teachers and experts - so read on to meet the wonderful people that write for your pleasure. They all have Great Taste!

Contributor Voices

Erin DeWitt - Nice to meet you, my name is Erin DeWitt. I’ve lived in Orange County all my life and one of my very favorite things to do is go to restaurants. I have always been passionate about art and music but what really sets my heart ablaze is the culinary world. What I love most is discovering adventurous recipes and experiencing new cuisines. The art of food preparation is fascinating—the smells, the textures, the tastes all have infinite possibilities and, over the years, Orange County has really established itself as a melting pot of culinary wealth. As a published photographer, writer, and editor, it would be my absolute pleasure to bring OC’s edible world to Great Taste readers.

Robert Johnson - My name is Robert Johnson and I am a freelance writer, foodie and language nut.  I am originally from Oklahoma, but am now glad to call California my home.  I have always had a passion for both writing and food. My introduction into the culinary wolrd began when I lived in Portland, OR and was befriended by the Western Culinary Institute’s graduating class of 2000.  Without ever having attended a single culinary class, I am able to make the five mother sauces, can Tourne a potato, and will completely wreck a souffle.  I have a B.A. in Spanish Literature and an M.A. in Anthropological Linguistics.  When I am not thinking or writing about food, I am writing or thinking about how language is structured and how humans came to speak.  I am very grateful to have met Teri and to write for Great Taste where I am able to combine two of my interests - writing and food.

Kelly O’Quinn - Hi! I’m Kelly O’Quinn. I’m currently a Literary Journalism major at University of California, Irvine. I was born and raised in Fullerton, CA, but hope to someday move out of state and travel around the world.  I started my internship with Great Taste in January 2010 and have since been hired as the IT Coordinator. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about the hospitality industry, the hectic life of a magazine editor, and what happens behind-the-scenes in restaurants. Although I’ve always enjoyed eating and trying new food, I never realized how much goes into presenting a dish that is not only creative but delicious. There is always something exciting happening, whether at a restaurant or with the magazine, and I love the fast-paced atmosphere. Working at Great Taste has been an eye-opening experience for me and I hope to continue working in the hospitality and magazine industries for years to come!

Lori Olsen - Hi, I’m Lori Olsen. I’m a Cal State Fullerton alum, and while in college I realized just how much I loved writing. This is when I began writing screenplays and short stories. I’m thrilled to be working here at Great Taste Magazine and I’m so excited to learn more about the editing and publishing world, food and cooking, and continuing to grow as a writer. I love trying different cuisine and going to restaurants I’ve never been to before. It’s like going on a mini adventure! And who doesn’t love a good food adventure?

Linda Mensinga - Linda Mensinga was editor of Culinary Trends for 15 years, now a contributing writer. Researching restaurants and hotels, she interviews the best and brightest chefs, not necessarily the most famous, to learn their secrets and recipes. Their talent and dedication never cease to inspire her. She focuses now on California locations enjoying the diversity of cultures and cuisines.
You can reach her at mensingabakes@gmail.com or Linda@culinarytrends.net.

Chef Contributor Voices

Chef Mark Adair - Catch of the Day Hello, I’m Mark Adair and my culinary career spans 25 years, three continents and eleven countries. I’ve been fortunate to cook for U.S. presidents, dignitaries and numerous celebrities over the years. I began my training in the kitchen of my grandparents’ inn in St. Andrews, Scotland and apprenticed in Rhone, France under the tutelage of Chef Paul Bocuse and at the Hotel International in Zurich, Switzerland. Over the years, I’ve worked for several major hotel companies, including the Westin and Doubletree in Denver, Phoenix, Pasadena and Vail. My favorite was serving as Executive Chef at the AAA Five-Diamond Ihilani Resort and Spa in Kapolei, Hawaii and overseeing their six award-winning restaurants. Prior to my current position as Director of Culinary for Blue Coral, Seafood & Spirits, I worked as Corporate Executive Chef for the Brigantine Restaurant Corporation in San Diego, supervising their eleven restaurants. I live in San Diego and when I’m not working you’ll frequently find me on my motorcycle. It’s a lot of fun writing Catch of the Day for Great Taste and sharing my passion for seafood with my peers.

Chef Katie Averill - Baking Rack I’m Chef Katie Averill, and I am a chef instructor. I also teach more casual classes at Tspoons in Ladera Ranch, I cater, and I write the Baking Rack column for Great Taste! I am from San Diego, but my cooking career has taken me to San Francisco, Las Vegas and Washington D.C. Currently I live in Laguna Beach. I’ve been writing for Great Taste for about a year now. I owned Mirabeau restaurant for five years, and I am planning to open another restaurant - hopefully sooner rather than later. Every day in the hospitality industry is different and you never know what the day will have in store. There is never a dull moment. I also love the instant gratification of cooking and feeding others.

Chef Gabe Caliendo - Spice Rack Hey, I’m Gabe Caliendo, Corporate Chef and Principal of The Lazy Dog Café and author of Great Taste’s Spice Rack column. I am a first generation American. My parents and several generations before are from Naples, Italy. I was born in Long Island, NY. I’ve also lived in Tampa Bay, Fl, but I have lived in Southern California almost all of my life - 25 years. I’ve been working with Great Taste for two years. If I wasn’t cooking I would be farming. Grapes, coffee, fruits, nuts or anything else that tastes great, like honey or agave. I could see myself as a cheesemaker, brewer, or distiller as well. I could never choose one thing that I love about the hospitality industry - I enjoy creating, I love eating - I appreciate sharing with others. I have become addicted to the adrenaline of working in kitchens that are very busy….it’s a rush!

Chef Jason Stein - Farmer’s Market Report Hi, Chef Jason Stein here. I’m Executive Chef of Parkers’ Lighthouse in Long Beach and Jaqu’s “The Place” in Huntington Beach. Originally from Westminster, I’m definitely a local boy and it’s great to be able to work in an area I know so well. I’ve been working with Great Taste Magazine for about four months, writing the Farmer’s Market Report for each issue. In my spare time, what little I have, I really enjoy growing exotic produce and trying to find unique ingredients to cook. There are so many fantastic options, it’s almost seems a waste to keep using the same old stuff! Like many people, I’m sure, I enjoy the energy and fast pace of the restaurant business. I find it amazing that so many people can cram into a small area like a kitchen and still be able to produce such great things.

Principle Production Voices

Lisa Brink - Graphic Artist - Print Hello, I’m Lisa Brink, and I am a graphic designer, art director and founder of DesignSmorgasbord. I was born in Florence, Italy, spent my teenage years in Vancouver, B.C. and then moved down to Southern California for college. I currently live in Long Beach, CA. The first issue of Great Taste I designed was Summer 2004. Since then, the magazine has evolved and changed into a piece that I am very proud of. Working with Teri and the rest of the crew at Great Taste has always been a pleasure… and they give me total creative freedom! Now that’s hard to find! In 1996 I graduated from Art Center College of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising. At that time I wanted the high power, high stress, high salary job that a creative career in advertising provides. After a few years in that industry, I ran as far and as fast as I could to the beach, took up surfing and started my own graphic design business. My life is now consists of lots of time in the water to keep my creativity flowing and many fun, exciting projects for inspiring people trying to make their mark in the world. The restaurant industry and I are a perfect fit. I was raised in Tuscany, Italy by a mother from New Orleans. So, as you can imagine, I love to eat! The bonus of having restaurant clients as that you always leave meetings with a full belly.

Michael Rutt - Photography Editor My name is Michael Rutt and I contribute the majority of the photos featured in Great Taste Magazine. I was born in San Francisco but I was raised in England, Sweden and Malta. My specialty is food photography but I love all types of photography whether it be editorial or commercial. Food photography always presents a challenge; some things just don’t look as good in two dimensions. Overcoming that challenge is what makes this field so rewarding. I have been working with Great Taste for about five years now and I have seen it develop and grow. Orange County’s restaurant industry is constantly changing and contains a vast variety of flavors. Great Taste keeps people informed and in touch with this ever-changing service industry.