Contributors
Publisher
Edward G. Hinkelman
Edward G. Hinkelman is an international economist with degrees from Tufts University and the University of Paris, and is the CEO/Publisher of World Trade Press. Mr. Hinkelman has more than 32 years' experience as an importer and exporter, and has traveled to and done business in more than 80 countries. He is the author of the industry standard Dictionary of International Trade, now in its 14th edition, and three other industry reference books. Mr. Hinkelman has been a member of the National District Export Council and a visiting lecturer on trade-related subjects at the University of Michigan, Tufts University, San Francisco State University, numerous TEC (The Executive Committee, now known as Vistage) meetings, and other industry programs and seminars.
Project Managers
Jenny Fretland VanVoorst
Jenny Fretland VanVoorst is the vice president of content development at World Trade Press. In addition to her work developing large-scale research databases, she is a writer and editor specializing in educational nonfiction and has written (under her own name and several pseudonyms) more than 150 informational books for readers of all ages. She is an alumna of the University of Minnesota, where she received graduate degrees in English and curriculum and instruction. When she's not reading or writing, Jenny enjoys kayaking, watching wildlife, playing the French horn and piano, and planning her next international adventure. She lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with her husband, Brian.
Editorial Team
Brian Arnell
Brian Arnell is a publishing professional with 14 years' experience in editorial, product development, and management roles for several digital information companies. A US native, he has spent much of his adult life abroad, including residencies in the UK and Australia and travel and research in Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. He holds a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and a master's degree in publishing and communications from the University of Melbourne.
Nina Bellucci
Nina Bellucci has editorial experience in the fields of international business, urban planning and architecture, and the law. She holds a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in political science, and a master's degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Some of her favorite travel destinations include Spain and the UK.
Brielle Burt
Brielle Burt was born and raised in Northern Michigan where she earned a bachelor’s degree in technical and professional communication from Ferris State University in Big Rapids. Having worked at several newspapers as a reporter, copy editor, and page designer, Brielle’s background is mostly in journalism. She started working for World Trade Press as a freelance writer at the beginning of 2018 before being hired as a full-time writer and editor in July 2018.
Elizabeth Freitas
Elizabeth Freitas is the Senior Manager of Linguistic Resources at World Trade Press. She earned her BA in English and German at Hillsdale College, then earned a CELTA from St. Giles College and a teaching credential from Sonoma State University. Her travels have brought her through the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica, including a stint living and teaching English in Cairo. She is conversant in Dutch, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Jenny Fretland VanVoorst
Jenny Fretland VanVoorst is the vice president of content development at World Trade Press. In addition to her work developing large-scale research databases, she is a writer and editor specializing in educational nonfiction and has written (under her own name and several pseudonyms) more than 150 informational books for readers of all ages. She is an alumna of the University of Minnesota, where she received graduate degrees in English and curriculum and instruction. When she's not reading or writing, Jenny enjoys kayaking, watching wildlife, playing the French horn and piano, and planning her next international adventure. She lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with her husband, Brian.
Jennifer Goheen
Jennifer Goheen earned her BA with honors in Russian language and literature from Oberlin College, and her MA in English from San Francisco State University. Her love of language is intimately connected with her love of travel. Fluent in Russian, French, and German, she has translated works from French and Russian into English. She has edited in subject areas and material categories ranging from engineering, education, and history to narratives, advertisements, cover blurbs, and company profiles. Among her favorite travel destinations are Sète, France; Skara Brae, Scotland; Emeishan and the Great Buddha of Le Shan in Sichuan, China; and the Bristlecone Pine Forest of California, USA.
Taylor Holloran
Taylor Holloran has always been an explorer and thinks traveling is one of the most meaningful and fulfilling experiences one can have. He has taken every opportunity he has found to travel the world; after receiving a BA in philosophy from Gettysburg College, he spent time living in Argentina, the Philippines, Cambodia, and New Zealand. His experiences as a traveler and expat lend an authentic perspective to his writing on international business, culture, history, and logistics. Taylor hopes his writing inspires people and gives them the confidence and the tools to go see the world for themselves.
Dorine Jennette
Dorine Jennette holds a PhD in English from the University of Georgia. She has edited creative and scholarly works for the University of Georgia Press, the University of Pittsburgh Press, and the Fordham University Press. She is an editor of the American Poetry Journal, and has previously held editorial positions with Puerto del Soland the Georgia Review. Dorine Jennette is the author of Urchin to Follow; her poetry and prose have appeared in journals such as Verse Daily, the Journal, Ninth Letter, Coconut, and the New Orleans Review. Her travels abroad include trips to Mexico, Italy, and Costa Rica.
Hope Kang
Hope Kang is the Senior Manager of Editorial Development at World Trade Press. She earned her BA in Spanish language and literature at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has worked as a copywriter and editor for Motorola, as a technical line editor for Free World U, and as an editor in the graphics department at NASA. For United Healthcare, she authored articles on mental health, parenting, and elder care. Conversant in French and Spanish, Hope Kang has lived in Spain, and her favorite travel destinations include Roskilde, Denmark; Glasgow, Scotland; and Israel.
Gabriele Schmitz
Gabriele Schmitz joined the editorial team at World Trade Press in the later stages of the development of AtoZ World Food. Attracted by all things travel, she brought with her a broad range of experiences—from growing up in small town Germany and studying English, French, and Spanish in local schools to moving to the U.S., completing a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at UC Davis, and traveling to East Africa and Haiti for an international children’s organization. She has worked as a direct mail fundraiser, grant writer, project manager, teacher, translator, and editor. Not a terribly adventurous eater herself, she nevertheless admires the astounding resourcefulness and boundless imagination found in local cuisines throughout the world. Among her favorite international food memories are delightful spring rolls (accompanied by a Singapore Sling) in Singapore; scrumptious fruit-filled potato dumplings in Berlin, made by a friend from Prague; heavenly paella in Seville, Spain; perfectly crispy, buttery schnitzel in Bruchköbel, Germany; and vegemite and kidney pie in Australia (not all of them being good memories).
Felicia Topp
Felicia Topp is a native of Traverse City, Michigan, and enjoys the relaxed lifestyle and beauty of all four seasons. Her love of writing, reading, and current events led to a BA in journalism from Michigan State University. She’s worked as a communications specialist for nonprofits and marketing firms and done freelance writing for area companies and publications, including work as a restaurant and book reviewer. Her work at World Trade Press satisfies her curious nature and her quest for knowledge.
Contributors
Jordan Baranowski
Jordan Baranowski is a freelance writer and teacher based out of Kansas City. He loves the food, drink, and culture of his hometown. Experimentation is his part of cooking and making drinks: he loves to take an established recipe and throw in his own personal preferences to see what happens. Big, bold flavors are his favorite: he would gladly take Indian or Central American food any day of the week. His number one piece of advice to people trying to become better cooks is this: find out what you and those you are cooking for enjoy, but then find out WHY you all like it. That extra step goes a long way to making all your food more enjoyable. His second piece of advice: add more butter. And cheese.
Alex Colgan
Alex Colgan is a freelance writer and editor from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. He holds an undergraduate degree in English and political science from St. Mary's University in Halifax, and is completing a master's program in social and political thought from the University of Regina. He writes mainly as an Internet copywriter and content developer, and has also written articles for local and national magazines, including This magazine. Alex is also the current editor of Coastal Life magazine.
A. Cotham
A. Cotham earned her bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She has written and edited materials for publications such as Sacramento Magazine and Solano Magazine, and for organizations such as the University of California health care system. Based in Sacramento, California, A. Cotham currently concentrates on travel writing, environmental writing, and technical editing.
Paul Giess
Paul Giess has a doctorate from the University of London and is a former lecturer in the environmental sciences. His research considered the environmental impact of emissions from the UK nuclear program and was funded by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. Paul has written widely on environmental issues and the public understanding of science. For many years he produced a topical science column for the Express & Star, the UK's most widely circulated regional newspaper. Currently living in Cape Town, South Africa, Paul has extensive travel experience in both Europe and Africa, and contributes to numerous travel websites and blogs. He also continues to write for selected publications in the UK and Africa, as well as providing academic proofreading for clients in Asia.
Viviana Giménez
Viviana Giménez was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she lives now with her husband Daniel and 10 year-old daughter Noelia. She holds degrees in English-Spanish Translation, Literature, and Journalism. For 10 years, she lived in the United States, where she studied at Purdue University and taught Spanish. During this time, she travelled extensively around the States, and also to Canada, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Spain, Germany, Brazil, and Uruguay. Viviana feels that trying different foods is one of the attractions of travelling and a way to get to know a culture in more depth. Viviana has published some of her short stories in journals and anthologies, and often contributes with her writing (in English or Spanish) to blogs and websites. She has several blogs where she writes short-stories and opinion pieces.
Simon Hodgson
Simon Hodgson was born in Scotland and now lives in San Francisco with his wife and son. After completing a master's degree program in history from Edinburgh University, Simon got his first job as a staff writer on an IT business newswire. He's also been a television listings editor, a housing magazine editor, and a freelance writer, writing about travel, business, education, movies, and art. Simon is currently the editorial director of Daily Secret, an international subscriber service that tells people about amazing things in cities across five continents. He has traveled widely across Western Europe, and spent time in Montenegro, Lithuania, Borneo, Georgia, and Kashmir.
Pamela Hunt
Pamela Hunt is a freelance writer and editor, curious traveler, and amateur foodie living Burlington, Vermont. When not hunched over her computer or scribbling in her tattered notebook, you can find her kayaking on Lake Champlain, sampling the newest Vermont IPA, or figuring out what foods to try on her next travel adventure. Her latest obsession: Lakkris, the licorice/sea salt chocolate bars from Omnom Chocolate, and Skyrgosi, Gæðingur Öl Brugghús’s super-tart gose made with Icelandic yogurt—though not consumed at the same time.
Anthon Jackson
Anthon Jackson is a native of Ogden, Utah, who has written professionally since 2008. In 20 years abroad, he has traveled to 60 countries. In addition to World Trade Press, Anthon has written for Rough Guides, USA Today, Trails, and Travels, while documenting a range of journeys, from Adventure Journey's "20,000 Miles in Asia" to the Royal Geographic Society-sponsored "Oxford Danakil Expedition." He holds a bachelor's degree in Middle East studies/Arabic and is based in Aarhus, Denmark.
Jessica Kirby
Jessica Kirby holds a bachelor's degree from Vancouver Island University. A double major, she focused her creative writing program on creative nonfiction and journalism; in anthropology, she focused on peace and conflict studies and the Middle East. She has completed original research exploring how journalism is represented cross-culturally, and wrote a series of biographies capturing the stories of people who have survived violent conflict in different geographical and cultural areas. Jessica has worked as a freelance and in-house editor and writer for more than 15 years, covering business, arts and culture, construction, architecture, sustainable living, and cross-cultural studies in magazines, books, and professional journals published across North America. Jessica is from Ontario, Canada, but has called beautiful Vancouver Island home since 1998.
Sunamita Lim
Sunamita Lim’s personal goal is to live healthily and happily to honor the centuries-old tradition that food is medicine. As important is realizing how our diverse cuisines can bridge cultural differences at the “Peace Table.” Lim volunteers for the global Peace Run (peacerun.org), and relishes sampling foods from around the world best summed up as, deriving overall nourishment from enjoying good food.
Kerrie Main
Kerrie Main is a writer, editor, and traveler. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from Southwest Texas State University, and her work experience spans a number of roles and industries. Beginning her career as an advertising copywriter, she later created and managed an online community for an international meeting planning association.
Ocean Malandra
Ocean Malandra is a freelance travel writer who divides his time between Northern California and South America. After studying broadcast journalism at the City College of San Francisco, he majored in English at Portland State University. Ocean is currently the guide to San Francisco Travel on About.com, has contributed to several Viva Travel Guidebooks, and has written for many different travel-related sites, including USA Today's Travel Tips and Trails.com. He is also a health researcher and writer and runs several blogs related to natural health.
Lindsey Mattison
Lindsay Mattison was an executive chef from 2013 to 2016 before exchanging her knives for pens and becoming a cookbook writer. She learned a passion for food when she lived in Granada, Spain, and she loves to cook sustainable food featuring seasonal, from-scratch ingredients. She lives in Durango, Colorado, with her husband.
Dale Meyers
Dale Myers is a journalist, travel writer, and novelist from Ventura, California. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Dale has been an editor at Marin Scope Newspapers, a senior editor at InfoWorld in San Francisco, and the managing editor of MotorHome magazine. He has traveled extensively in Mexico, Hawaii, and Europe, particularly Italy, and speaks Italian.
Carly K. Ottenbreit
Carly K. Ottenbreit is a writer and translator specializing in content for academic and trade publications. She studied Spanish, German, and English literatures at the University of Michigan and earned her master's in comparative literature from Cornell University. Her travels have taken her to more than 50 countries and 37 US states. She currently lives in Germany, where she enjoys their seasonal emphasis on cooking and looks forward to her annual visits to her hometown of Detroit for Coney Island hot dogs, square pizza, and Mexican food. She publishes original long-form personal essays on travel at www.travelographie.com.
Holly Riddle
Holly Riddle grew up on a working farm in the southern United States and understands the cultural importance of local food. Balancing her equal loves for food and writing over the years, she’s contributed to a wide array of magazines, newspapers, and websites, with her primary topics being dining and travel. She’s also worked with several sustainable agriculture non-profits to help create content that educates the world on the importance of “real” food. She currently lives with her husband and two dogs in the farmlands of Pennsylvania, where you’ll always find her typing away, with two of her favorite things nearby—stacks and stacks of cookbooks, and a bottle of good whiskey. No matter where she travels around the world, Chicago is her favorite destination, but she’s always up for a new adventure.
John E. Roper
John E. Roper was born and raised in Oklahoma, and has spent most of his adult life overseas. In addition to visiting many countries, he has lived in Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Japan, and Italy. While earning a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma, John began working as a freelance writer. He has written for several print publications, including the Daily Oklahoman and the Arizona Republic, as well as for a wide range of digital platforms, such as USAToday.com, Hotels.com, Salon.com, and Trails.com. He currently writes reviews for The US Review of Books and Breakpoint.org. John's three-act play When I Was Five has been performed on three continents.
Carina Saxon
Carina Mathias Saxon lives in Chicago, Illinois, where she enjoys a diverse range of cuisines. She contributed recipes and food culture articles to the Food America project. She has a BA in English from Knox College and an MA in literature from Indiana University.
Trent Slabaugh
Trent Slabaugh is the creative director of Renegade Films based in Traverse City, Michigan. Trent directs his efforts towards producing digital media and applies his deep passion for cinema to everything he creates. He graduated from Specs Howard School of Media Arts in Southfield, Michigan, and previously worked as a multimedia journalist for 13 On Your Side in Grand Rapids. With Renegade Films, he produces corporate videos such as How Food Is Made, as well as wedding films and documentary projects. When he's not behind the camera, Trent also works as a licensed pharmacy technician. He lives in Traverse City with his wife, Annie, and their two dogs, Molly and Milo. He enjoys travelling, home cooking, hiking, and broadening his musical tastes.
Michael Sommers
Michael Sommers, a Texas native, could barely chew before his parents whisked him north to Canada, beginning a lifelong addiction to maple syrup and peameal bacon. Upon graduating from university with a BA in literature, he moved to France where he embarked upon a career as a freelance writer, earned a Master’s in history, and survived dark, drizzly Parisian winters with the combined aid of red wine and bittersweet chocolate. After stints in New York, where brunch became a habit, and Lisbon, where he discovered sardines don’t come from a can, Michael settled in Salvador, capital of Bahia, Brazil. Currently, when not crushing limes for caipirinhas and rustling up tapioca pancakes, he is a contributor to diverse North American print and digital publications and the author of Brazil travel guides for Moon and National Geographic.
Tom Sykes
Tom Sykes holds a bachelor's degree (Hons) in English and American literature from the University of East Anglia (UK), a program that included a semester of study at the London School of Economics. He is now studying for a doctorate at Goldsmiths College, University of London, focusing on Southeast Asian travel literature. Tom has published travel journalism in the London Daily Telegraph, the London Magazine, the Bristol Review of Books, the Philippine Free Press, and various in-flight magazines. He is the co-editor of 4 travel anthologies that have sold 20,000 copies. The first, No Such Thing as a Free Ride? was published by Cassell Illustrated and serialized in the London Times. Tom has traveled extensively in Asia and Europe. Learn more about him at www.tomgsykes.co.uk.
Heather Thielen
Heather Thielen received a bachelor's degree in painting in 2002, then worked in art restoration at a Russian art gallery, where she also wrote articles and managed a website covering Russian art. She moved to Florence, Italy, in 2007, where she learned Italian, worked as a tour guide, and taught English. Heather now lives and works in Southern California.
Linda Williams
Linda Williams, as a kid, loved cooking with her mother—a gourmet cook with international tastes, who loved making everything from Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, and Mexican dishes to down-home Southern comfort food. As an adult, Linda has visited and enjoyed the cuisine of countries on six continents. She has also been a freelance writer for over 10 years, with a focus on a broad range of topics, from tech to lifestyle. Linda currently lives in New York, where she enjoys hosting parties for friends, trying out new recipes, and writing for her clients. She loves food from all over the world, but perhaps her favorite meal is still her mother’s Thanksgiving spread—complete with wild mushroom stuffing and rum-spice pumpkin pie.
Jennifer Williamson
Jennifer Williamson is a freelance writer and editor living in New York City. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from St. Lawrence University. Jennifer owns a mobile freelance business, and has traveled and worked in many areas of the world, including the Netherlands, Crete, the UK, France, Belgium, and Kenya. She writes website copy, brochures, e-mail marketing messages, and other marketing collateral—and has helped clients from countries as diverse as China, the UK, France, and South Africa adapt their marketing messages to an American audience. You can see more of her work at catalystwriters.com.
Developers
Tim Hanley
Tim Hanley is a front end web developer who focuses on the user interface aspect of our online databases. Prior to working at World Trade Press, he built user interfaces and web applications for an audio software company based in Virginia.
Dean Tisthammer
Dean Tisthammer is a former Full-Stack Developer at World Trade Press. He has a BA in Geographic Information Technology from Sonoma State University in California, and has over ten years of experience designing and developing web sites with a focus on user interfaces and interactive elements.
Ben Ventura
Ben Ventura is the former Director of Software Engineering at World Trade Press. Ben studied Computer Science at Sonoma State University, and has over fifteen years of experience building websites, content management systems, ecommerce platforms and cloud applications.
Darren Wiltse
Darren Wiltse is a back end developer at World Trade Press. His responsibilities include managing the databases, working on the CMS, and handling customer service needs. He enjoys writing code in new and challenging ways. Prior to joining the WTP team, Darren obtained a BS in computer science from Michigan Technological University.