Diana Perez Title: Associate Food Editor Location: Birmingham, AL A native New Yorker of Mexican heritage, Diana Perez has spent the last 17 years working across the culinary media landscape. A graduate of Syracuse University (cum laude), Diana first worked in fashion photography production before enrolling at The French Culinary Institute in New York. In addition to learning the fine art of French culinary technique, she also learned to bake artisan breads and pastries and joined the Italian Culinary Academy, attending ALMA Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana in Colorno, Italy, and staging at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Throughout her career, Diana has worked as a cook, culinary producer, recipe developer, tester, and editor, researcher, food stylist and educator. She is based in Birmingham, Alabama. Experience During her career, Diana has worked as a cook, culinary producer, recipe developer, tester, and editor, researcher, food stylist and educator, working with chefs such as Lidia Bastianich, Bobby Flay, and Alex Stupak, as well as bakers such as Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery. In 2015, Diana was a member of the social media team of the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano, working with the U.S. Department of State showcasing American cuisine to over six million visitors from around the world throughout the 6 months of the world’s fair. There, she documented visits by chefs such as Massimo Bottura, José Andrés, Daniel Humm, Andrew Carmellini, among others, and former First Lady Michelle Obama.Diana also worked as an editorial assistant to Gael Greene, the former restaurant critic of New York Magazine, and most recently was a research contributor to Modernist Pizza by Modernist Cuisine, the definitive, groundbreaking book on all things pizza, where she uncovered previously unknown early pizzerias in the United States and chronicled the history of tomatoes and mozzarella. During the pandemic, Diana was a culinary educator at the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center in New York. She is the Associate Food Editor at Food & Wine, based in Birmingham, Alabama. Education Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts, Syracuse UniversityClassic Culinary Arts; Art of International Bread Baking; and Italian Culinary Program (with ALMA Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana in Colorno, Italy) at The French Culinary Institute, New York About Food & Wine Food & Wine, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is an award-winning online resource for anyone passionate about the culinary world. With rigorously tested recipes and the most trusted restaurant, drinks, culinary travel and home coverage, we inspire and empower people everywhere to discover, create, and devour the best in food and wine. Learn more about us and our editorial process.