Natalia Boltukhova / www.pedalpowerphotography.com / www.tiny russian studio.com

Angie's vivid storytelling has us hooked (it's no surprise that one of her passions is writing). She made the leap from the fashion industry to the food industry (all thanks to a very dirty mushroom) and now she's helping to run a small food business that engages her passions as well as her politics.

When did you know that you wanted to work in food?

I worked in fashion for many years, while maintaining my food blog, the now-defunct newyorkavore.com. People would often ask if I intended to make a career out of food, but I wasn't sure how I'd make the switch. Two years ago, I moved from NYC to my hometown of Boston and soon after met JJ Gonson, whose company Cuisine en Locale was getting a lot of attention for its food activism and innovation in the locavore movement -  using only local ingredients to the point where even olive oil and lemons are off the table in favor of Maine sunflower oil and rhubarb. I felt lucky to be in the right place and time to get involved in something so radical and real.

How did you get your current good food job?

I was editing a book on hardcore music from the 90s that featured JJ's photos (I am also a freelance writer/editor and she is a prolific rock photographer and currently in the midst of her next book). We became friends on Facebook and I offered to come in and help prep ONCE a Week, Cuisine en Locale's weekly all-local meal delivery service. The first day, she had me cleaning a basketball-sized foraged maitake mushroom, from which all manner of creepy, crawly and flying insects emerged. I think my can-do attitude toward such a gnarly but needful task was a good indication of my willingness to take on anything - which is the approach you must take when working for any small business.

How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?

My background in luxury marketing provides me with the vocabulary and sensibility needed to communicate with people about why they deserve to eat wholesome, gourmet food, and why good nutrition that's convenient should not be considered a "luxury." I apply a certain amount of polish to what we do as a farm-to-table company - a label that a lot of people look for now when they are planning events. I feel good about working to improve our bottom line, because our continued success means more money going into the local economy and to the hardworking farmers who we rely on to feed us.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream?

Financially, the transition from working in corporate to working for a grassroots business was hard at first - I'm not sure I could have made this leap while still enduring the cost of living in New York. But in Boston, my overhead is lower and I live a somewhat simpler life. I derive a lot of pleasure out of the every day - riding out to a farm in our van, tasting what our chefs create, working with wonderful eco-conscious foodies to plan their weddings and special events - these are things that make working in a cubicle again hard for me to imagine.

What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?

Our service bridges the gap between take-out and hiring your own personal chef, using the best quality ingredients - the kind you would pick out yourself if you had time to shop around for the best locally farmed produce meat, dairy, eggs, flours, beans, etc for every single meal. It's a new way to think about "convenience food". Any service that saves time without sacrificing quality, taste or healthfulness has the potential to succeed right now because more people are understanding the importance of eating well, while not everyone has the time or desire to make it happen every single meal of every single day.

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?

Every week I take home one of our ONCE a Week cooked meal shares as part of my compensation and it is of enormous value to me. Time is money and having delicious, nutritious food and more free time to do yoga, write and relax is a sweet perk indeed.