New president for Food Writers Guild

Cookbook author, culinary magazine editor and food broadcaster Lauraine Jacobs has been elected president of the New Zealand Guild of Food Writers (NZGFW).

The NZGFW is the professional body for food journalists and others involved in writing about, presenting and teaching about the specialist area of food and beverages. Ms Jacobs was elected at the guild’s recent successful conference in Hawkes Bay.

Lauraine Jacobs brings experience and leadership to her new role with the guild which since her appointment has already attracted new interest from food professionals. New members include renowned New Zealand chefs Al Brown and Martin Bosley and food editors Suzanne Dale and Victoria Wells among others.

She has firm ideas on the guild’s direction with a new focus on professional development for members, greater networking opportunities and a desire to make the profession more accessible to the media and everyday food lovers. Included in the guild’s plans is a new Food Media Centre as first port of call for all food related enquiries.

In addition to being a well known New Zealand foodie for more than 20 years, Lauraine Jacobs has been president of the US-based International Association of Culinary Professionals (2002) and was on its board for eight years.

More recently she was a member of the 2005 / 2006 New Zealand Government-appointed Food and Beverage Taskforce. She is also a food and wine ambassador for New Zealand's Trade and Enterprise initiative in North America and has written numerous cook books and been involved in internet food sites.

Ms Jacobs teaches cooking classes, broadcasts on food and cooking and is a tireless champion of artisan food producers, regional specialty foods and farmers’ markets throughout the country.

A passionate cook and lover of simply presented fresh food, she has won many awards for food and recipe writing and two Gold Ladles at the World Food Media Awards for previous books, The New Zealand Baker and Baker, and Taste; Baking with Flavour both co-written with Dean Brettschneider.

Ms Jacobs lives in Auckland during the working week and spends weekends at her family’s beach house in the Matakana region north of Auckland.

www.laurainejacobs.co.nz/

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Issued for the NZ Guild of Food Writers by Pead PR