We love the way that Rachel thinks about the act of eating. Yes, there are thousands of folks across the country focusing in on their plates in meaningful, exciting, and fun ways, and Rachel might just be another one of them, but she sure has the power to help us see beyond the heady experience of tasting. Her specialty, as it turns out, is thinking about food in a way that just might open up your senses to another dimension.

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

I literally came from the womb loving food, which was further amplified the first time I tasted my mother's fried chicken. I used to get in trouble when I was little for dancing in my seat while eating dinner. My husband calls it the wiggle, and I still do it when I taste something that I really love.

I kind of fell into working in the food business when I graduated from college. My passion for the work that I do came from the realization that learning and working in food only serves to amplify my pleasure associated with food and drink. For me, thinking about food in a really academic way just gets me excited whether it is thinking about the transformative power of food in religion (I studied Buddhism in a former life), to taking a cheese class at Murray's, to getting my master's in food culture at the University of Gastronomic Sciences; having a philosophical, social, cultural, and scientific knowledge of food heightens my experience with it. An example would be one of my favorite foods: tomato and mozzarella salad. Anyone can enjoy this dish, but I love thinking about all the evolution, history, and melding of cultures that had to happen for that salad to exist ... cheese from Italy, tomatoes from South America, basil from Southeast Asia, the olive trees from the Middle East, the technology to obtain salt, not to mention the evolution of the skill and inherited knowledge it takes to make really good cheese and oil. Take it a step further and think about the food science behind the cheese and olive oil. When I eat and work, I like to think about all of those steps that humanity had to take to get to where we are today in the world of food. You literally consume history on your plate. It makes me appreciate what I do so much more.

How did you get your current good food job?

I am actually extremely lucky because I work for my family's business. Moreover, I am lucky because my family's business philosophy and my own world, work, and food philosophy are, for the most part, one and the same. I had previously worked for Patachou, INC. in several different capacities and had to do just a bit of convincing about the fact that the whole sustainability position was worth it. I am sure that a lifetime of hearing my impassioned ideals had subconsciously prepared my mom, and boss, for it anyway.

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

I have been lucky to have many life experiences that led me to this point. First, having a family almost at nuts about food as I am, studying Buddhism in college (in a strange and circuitous way), and a love of the restaurant and hospitality industry. Thinking about the transformative power of perception and the way that perception can create reality. When you apply that to food, the act of consumption (and dining) is so very powerful. Also, the power that food has to transform the mundane into sacred. And, my time at the University of Gastronomic Sciences opened up a whole new world view to me.

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

My biggest obstacle was figuring out exactly what I wanted to do and how to incorporate it into the company that I work for. There are so many opportunities in the food world right now, it is almost like the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" It is so hard to answer because the possibilities are overwhelming and endless. The best part is that restaurants, like the world, are in constant flux so my answer for now doesn't have to be my forever.

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

The greatest opportunity in food right now is that the way we produce and consume food has become a revolutionary act. So many people want to be involved with redefining our food culture and, in extension, our philosophies on life and living. It is so meaningful to be involved in an industry where common, every day practices become commentary on society, right and wrong, and what needs to change for future sustainability and success. Whether that is in sustainability, production, restaurants, as a diner - it doesn't matter which one you choose.

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

Wine!