"Should I go to culinary school?" used to be the number one question we heard from inquiring career changers, but Shoshana was the first person Taylor met (back in 2007) who asked, "How do I really learn about food?" Since then we've seen an explosion of academic programs incorporating food studies beyond the well-established culinary schools: EcoGastronomy at UNH, Masters in Gastronomy at Boston University, and Sustainable Agriculture at Green Mountain College, to name a few. Already a New Yorker, Shoshana took the graduate school plunge and enrolled in the department of Food Studies at NYU, where she's helping to redefine the meaning of studying food and to pave the way for future food workers.
What attracted you to a good food job?
Finding my way to a graduate program specifically about food was a journey. I worked in book publishing and textiles for many years before coming to the realization that the information I was constantly seeking to fulfill myself on a personal level was always about food. It didn't matter what kind of information it was, be it nutrition, new food products, jump-off-the-shelf packaging,
bad packaging just the same, or the fine print on the back of a food product. I was always seeking out new markets to wander endlessly about, and little cafes to try. Once I read
The Omnivore's Dilemma I realized there was a whole world of issues relating to food that were becoming a legitimate field of study. Amidst the world of industrial, processed food, the inevitable and unavoidable human relationship to food fascinates me, and understanding the tension between those two forces is what keeps me going as I venture down a new career path.
How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?
I spent the first few years of my life being rocked in a cradle in the back office of my parents' bakery in Boulder, Colorado. The aromas of flour and yeast seeped in at a young age and I was hooked. Growing up in Boulder, land of health food, and having a mother who cooked healthy, amazing dinners from scratch while patiently showing me the ropes of the kitchen at a very young age, built a strong foundation for my intrigue. From there it was just about learning how to apply my intrigue with all things related to food to a field of study and hopefully a soon-to-be new career!
What advice do you have for others in search of a good food job?
Food crosses paths with so many fields these days - politics, marketing, social justice, art, economics - you name it. Find the niche you're interested in and pursue it; I guarantee you'll be able to find someone else who is interested in the same thing as you are and that's how dream jobs are found.
If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?
It's cliche, but unlimited yoga and Blue Marble ice cream would do the trick.
