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Dava Guthmiller
Creative Director & Owner of Noise 13 Design, Inc. & Creative Director of Seedling Projects
Board Chair of Slow Food SF
March 21, 2011

We've decided that the urban fairytale of food is one where a lowly waiter/busboy learns the skill of providing great service, and parlays that into a successful career with her very own food-related company. Dava is the princess in this particular story, and her advice is as real as it gets. Like chocolate and hazelnut, food and design is one of those magical combinations, and we're inspired by how Dava took her experience on the floor at restaurants and used it to create her very own design firm. Don't be surprised to discover that at least one of your favorite websites is her handiwork.

What attracted you to a good food job?

I love to eat, and to cook, but my passion is still with design. At Noise 13 our focus is on lifestyle brands, but about 50% of our clients are in food & beverage industries. This gives me access to both of my loves at the same time: designing for food.

I had thought about opening a small bistro before going into design, but decided I wanted to keep cooking as a hobby rather than a day job. Through Noise 13 I have also set up many dinner events - called Localize - that highlight a local chef, local ingredients, and local wines. I guess I'm just more interested in connecting and bringing  people together though food than cooking it for people every day. Many of our Noise 13 clients are, or become partners in these industries as well.

How did you get your current good food job?

With Slow Food I started as an event volunteer over 7 years ago by meeting Lorenzo Scarpone, the chapter's founder, at another event. I eventually took over as Board Chair in 2008. This food job (or volunteer post) allows me to plan events and programming around the ideas of good, clean and fair food.

For Seedling Projects, I meet Sarah Weiner though Dominic Philips, a long time connection, and we started working together right away on the Good Food Awards idea.

For Noise 13, I simply started my own business in 2000, chose my favorite interests (food & wine, etc), and went about finding clients for which I could design. Slow Food and Seedling Projects are two of those clients (although for Slow Food it is gratis).

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

I worked in many restaurants during college doing everything from host, runner, waiter, bar back, prep cook and cold station cook. I love the fast speed of these jobs. I think being a part of the food world helped me to better consult my clients on everything from branding to interiors to overall experience for any lifestyle brand. It's important to understand the value of the experience you are providing someone from first impression to paying the bill. This applies to any business to consumer industry but most specifically to ones like food, beverage, hospitality and beauty where people want the host to guide the experience.

What advice do you have for others in search of a good food job?

Meet people! Ask questions. Be passionate about what you do. And always continue to learn. The industry can get tired fast, you need to listen to your customers, and the marketplace, and really be aware that what you do influences more that someone's taste buds.

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

We do this often with our Noise 13 clients. For restaurants, and other food industries, as well as wineries, and spirits, we sometimes negotiate a small percentage of the project as trade. I feel it's important to know the projects well, but also it's something we all love and would spend money on anyway, so why not support our clients first. Noise 13 has a lot more wine than your average design office!