Part-Time Faculty

Chef Jody Adams prioritizes working with people, food, and building community, which has driven her long career as a chef, restaurateur, and philanthropist. As a partner in A Street Hospitality, she co-owns several Boston restaurants, including TRADE, Porto, and Saloniki, and is currently developing La Padrona for the new Raffles Hotel. A Brown University anthropology graduate, she shifted to cooking after encouragement from Julia Child and Sara Moulton, gaining experience at Seasons, Hamersley’s Bistro, and Michela’s before leading Rialto for 22 years, earning the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Northeast Award. Jody closed Rialto in 2016. Deeply committed to philanthropy, Jody supports causes related to food security, public health, and restaurant workers, as well as fundraising for organizations like Share Our Strength and Partners in Health. She co-founded Massachusetts Restaurants United during the COVID-19 pandemic to advocate for the industry. In 2018, she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. Married to writer-photographer Ken Rivard, she co-authored In the Hands of a Chef and has two children, Oliver and Roxanne.

Alana Buckbee is a marketing and branding leader with a passion for hospitality. From Ina Garten’s cookbooks to Sweetgreen’s loyalty campaigns, Buckbee develops cohesive, comprehensive, and consumer-centric strategies. She earned her MBA from MIT with a focus on restaurant organizational structures. Her consulting experience includes building the digital communications approach for a chocolate factory/hotel concept from the team at El Celler de Can Roca. Most recently, she introduced the world to the CPG snacks of the future at Chew Innovation lab. Buckbee is currently leading the strategy and marketing efforts at the boutique consultancy MK Global Hospitality Group.

Courses

For Cori (Corrine) DaCosta (MET’18), hospitality is their legacy, teaching is their purpose, and learning about food is their passion. At three years old, DaCosta saw how food had the potential to bring people joy and connection, and has been pursuing gastronomy goals ever since. DaCosta graduated from the Culinary Institute of America with a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Food Service Management and earned a master’s degree in gastronomy at Boston University. Along with teaching ever since graduation, DaCosta is also a founder of Coffee Colored Concepts, a culinary consulting firm that focuses on mindfulness, mental health/wellness, and fostering intersectional identity in the food industry through creative solution management.

Courses

Netta Davis (GRS’13) holds a Master of Arts in American Studies from Boston University. Davis received the Award for Food Studies Pedagogy from the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) in 2011 and was appointed ASFS Fellow in 2016. Her research interests include utopian and alternative foodways, New England food history, and sensorial experience. Davis’s publications include “To Serve the ‘Other’: Chinese American Immigrants in the Restaurant Business” (Journal of Food and Society, 2002) and “The Ideal Way to Eat: How Utopian Foodways, Democratic Diners and Competing Perfections Came to the Party and Ruined My Appetite” (Appetite, 2011), and a contributed entry on “Alternative Foodways” in the edited volume Material Culture in America: Understanding Everyday Life (ABC-CLIO, 2008).

Courses

MET ML 625 – Wild and Foraged Foods
MET ML 638 – Culture and Cuisine: New England
MET ML 715 – Food and the Senses

Coming from seven generations of hoteliers, Jim Dodge’s methods of preparation and styling meld Swiss influence with his New England heritage. A decade as the executive pastry chef at the Stanford Court in San Francisco made him one of the first pastry chefs to be nationally recognized. After opening The American Pie, a Hong Kong pastry shop offering modern American fare, Chef Dodge left retail baking in 1993 to join the New England Culinary Institute, and in 1996 he became the director of food services at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Dodge joined Bon Appétit Management Company in 2000 and in 2004 became its director of specialty culinary programs.

Cathy Erway is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and the author of the cookbook The Food of Taiwan. She has written for publications including the New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Eater, Epicurious, and New York Magazine’s Grub Street. She writes a longstanding column at TASTE that has received an IACP award and has been a finalist for two consecutive years. She has hosted the food podcast “Why We Eat What We Eat,” which received an IACP award. Erway co-wrote the cookbook Win Son Presents: A Taiwanese American Cookbook with the restaurateurs of Win Son in Brooklyn.

Courses

MET ML 681 – Food Writing for the Media

Food historian Shayne Leslie Figueroa earned her PhD in food studies from New York University. Her dissertation examined the social history of the school lunch program in New York City during the postwar period. Dr. Figueroa has taught both graduate and undergraduate food studies courses over the past ten years at NYU, the New School, Sterling College, the New York Public Library, and Boston University. Her most recent published articles include: “Oral Histories of Three Women Pioneers in Organic Agriculture” in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems Journal, and “Negotiating Place and Power through Union Grievance in Post-war NYC Cafeterias” in Gender & History.

Courses

MET ML 622 – History of Food

Steven M. Finn is vice president of sustainability and public affairs at Leanpath, the global leader in integrated hardware and software solutions for food waste prevention, where he helps major foodservice operations take control of their food waste while engaging employees in creating a culture of food waste prevention. Finn also serves as affiliated faculty in the organizational dynamics program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches graduate courses domestically and internationally on innovation for sustainability and the food-water-energy nexus with a focus on creating organizational change leaders for sustainability. His principal research interest involves food waste reduction and food system change efforts to enable the world to meet the challenge of feeding 10 billion by 2050 within planetary boundaries. Finn is the author of several articles on food waste issues and maintains the sustainability-focused blog “Food for Thoughtful Action.”

Courses

MET ML 626 – Food Waste: Scope, Scale, & Signals for Sustainable Change

Connor Fitzmaurice (CAS’19) is a sociologist studying food at the intersection of markets and culture. He has published on the everyday economic practices of organic farmers in New England, the ways taste preferences prevent social connections and trades in a food bartering economy, and the ways critics reappraise disreputable wines. Linking these diverse cases is a concern for how value, broadly considered, shapes what we eat and drink—and why. Dr. Fitzmaurice received his PhD in sociology from Boston University in 2019.

Courses

MET ML 716 – Sociology of Taste

Sheryl Julian is the former food editor of the Boston Globe. She trained at the Cordon Bleu schools in London and Paris and was deputy director of École de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris, a bilingual cooking school. Her Boston Globe Magazine food column, written with Julie Riven, ran for more than 20 years; they are coauthors of The Way We Cook. Julian is cofounder of the Women’s Culinary Guild of New England, the first organization in America for women in the food business, and a founding member of the Culinary Historians of Boston, a group dedicated to the history of the table. She writes feature stories, reviews restaurants, and is a stylist for food photography.

Courses

MET ML 681 – Food Writing for the Media

Alicia Kennedy is a food and culture writer. She is the author of the bestselling book No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating and the forthcoming On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites. Desde mi escritorio, a collection of her essays in translation, was published in Spain, and her recipes have been included in Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Eating and the 50th anniversary edition of Diet for a Small Planet. Her work has been published in Harper’s Bazaar, Mold, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Lux, and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Food Studies, and it has been anthologized in Best American Food Writing. She has given talks at MIT, Tufts University, Boston University, UC Berkeley, and more. “From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy,” her weekly newsletter on culture, media, and politics, has nearly 40,000 subscribers and has been mentioned in The New York Times, Vogue, The Nation, The Atlantic, and more outlets.

Courses

MET ML 610 – Special Topics in Gastronomy

Steve Kurland (SHA’23) is completed his master’s degree in 2023 at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration. While at SHA, Kurland and two partners started Aiding Generations, a nonprofit company designed to find underserved teens careers in the rapidly growing and understaffed senior living industry. Aiding Generations continues to grow and has made substantial progress including a $10,000 prize from The Poyiadjis Innovation Competition. Kurland started teaching at Boston University’s Metropolitan College in September of 2023.

Courses

MET ML 655 – Launching a Food Business

After seventeen years at Lumière, eight James Beard Foundation Award nominations, and honors from Food and Wine, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and Saveur, Leviton has stepped away from the day to day of the kitchen. As a founder of Region Foodworks and through his work with Marlo Marketing, Leviton is now expanding his reach by focusing his time and talent on projects and partnerships that demonstrate the promise of broadening food systems sustainability. He is a long-time member and former board chair of the Chefs Collaborative, as well as a member of the Chefs Action Network, an Impact Program of the James Beard Foundation. Having attended two Chefs Boot Camps for Policy and Change, Leviton continues to build on his advocacy for a sustainable future. A longtime advocate for sustainable seafood and fisheries, he is also on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force.

José López Ganem (MET’22) is an academic and nonprofit professional conducting interdisciplinary research drawing on the fields of food, history, culture, public policy, trade, and sensory analysis. He is currently the executive director of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI) and lecturer and outreach coordinator at Boston University’s Food Studies Programs. His professional experience includes work in cultural ambassadorship for Mexico and Mesoamerica, as well as in the food industry in New York City. He concluded his business administration studies at Culinary Institute of America in 2018 and received a master’s degree in Gastronomy at Boston University’s Metropolitan College in 2022.

Courses

MET ML 610 – Special Topics in Gastronomy
MET ML 692 – Evaluating and Developing Markets for Culinary Tourism

Anne Lusk holds a bachelor’s degree in home economics, a master’s in teaching with a specialization in historic preservation, and a PhD in architecture with a major in environment and behavior and a minor in urban planning. A practitioner and academic for over 40 years, she has worked to create climate-responsive environments in Vermont and Massachusetts. As a long-time faculty member of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Lusk taught and conducted research related to climate change. She co-authored an article in 2010 showing that protected bike lanes in Montreal had a 28% lower injury rate and 2.5 times as many bicyclists compared to roads without bicycle facilities. This research helped change federal policies to promote protected bike lanes. Dr. Lusk received two lifetime achievement awards for her efforts to promote and expand cycling in the US from the Congress for New Urbanism in 2011 and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals in 2013. She was also a US Department of the Interior Take Pride in America award winner.

Courses

MET ML 714 – Urban Agriculture

Barry Maiden began work in professional kitchens at a young age in and around his hometown of Abingdon, Virginia. Early in his career, Chef Maiden worked alongside Emile Labrousse, renowned French chef and teacher, in Nashville, Tennessee. He then went to the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, and as an NECI extern he was hired at L’Espalier in Boston working under Chef Frank McClelland. He then took the sous chef position at its sister restaurant, Sel de la Terre on the Boston waterfront. Chef Maiden’s innate need to learn and grow along with his commitment to sustainable food practices drew him to work with Chef-Owner Michael Leviton at Lumière, as chef de cuisine. Maiden’s five-year stint at Lumière was the final step before opening his own kitchen in 2008, Hungry Mother, in Cambridge, Mass. He was quickly named one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2009 and in 2015 he was awarded the prestigious James Beard Award of “Best Chef Northeast.” In the summer of 2015 Hungry Mother closed its doors to allow Maiden to explore new opportunities.

Dan Mendez (CAS’23) received his PhD from Boston University in 2023 with a dissertation on Hegel’s account of civil society. His research focuses on the German Idealist tradition. He is from Miami and his favorite food is pizza.

Courses

MET ML 614 – Philosophy of Food

Ellen Messer is an anthropologist and culinary historian with an extensive background in food policy and food justice issues. Her research interests encompass cross-cultural perspectives on human right to food; biocultural determinants of food and nutrition intake; sustainable food systems (with special emphasis on the roles of NGOs); and the cultural history of nutrition, agriculture, and food science, including the impacts of biotechnology on hunger. She has authored and co-authored several books on food policy, including Who’s Hungry? And How Do We Know? Food Shortage, Poverty and Deprivation (United Nations Free Press, 1998). Previously she was director of the World Hunger Program at Brown University and a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Dr. Messer is a lecturer in Gastronomy at Boston University and has current faculty affiliation at the Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Courses

MET ML 719 – Food Values: Local to Global Food Policy, Practice, and Performance
MET ML 720 – Food Policy and Food Systems
MET ML 721 – US Food Policy and Culture

Kevin O’Donnell attended Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute in 2004, before accepting an internship at Ristorante Zeppelin in Orvieto, Italy. After completing his internship, he returned to his home state of Rhode Island to cook at Newport’s first Relais & Chateaux Property, Castle Hill Inn. O’Donnell felt the pull of Italian culture and cuisine and decided to return to Ristorante Zeppelin in Italy where he worked as a Sous Chef for two years. From Italy, he moved on to work at New York City’s Michelin-starred Del Posto, where he continued his focus on Italian cuisine. After refining his skills at Del Posto under Chef Mark Ladner, O’Donnell moved back to Europe to open the internationally acclaimed Restaurant L’Office as executive chef in Paris, France. In 2012, he arrived in Boston and took an opportunity to work with owners Michael Moxley and Jim Cochener at The Salty Pig as executive chef. O’Donnell is proud of the accomplishments of The Salty Pig and is excited to see his dream of opening SRV with long time cooking partner, Michael Lombardi, come true. O’Donnell serves as co-executive chef/partner of SRV restaurant.

Natalie Shmulik (MET’13) is chief strategy and incubation officer for the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC), overseeing The Hatchery and Make City incubators. Along with a master’s in gastronomy, she has a wide range of experience working with supermarkets, culinary publications, consumer packaged goods companies, and food service establishments. After successfully operating her own restaurant, Shmulik was hired as a specialty consultant for one of Ontario’s largest supermarket chains, where she enhanced consumer experiences through educational initiatives. Discovering her passion for innovation, Shmulik served as a brand strategist for the first cold brew tea company and later moved to Chicago to run The Hatchery. With over ten years of food incubation experience, Shmulik has gained a unique perspective on the industry and what it takes to launch and grow a successful business. A regular contributor to Food Business News, she was featured in the Chicago Tribune’s 10 Business People to Watch, received the Specialty Food Association’s award for leadership in vision, and was recently featured as a Nosh Notable. Shmulik continues to play a valuable role in branding and marketing for food businesses around the country, with her specialty in trend forecasting.

Courses

MET ML 655 – Launching a Food Business

Jeremy Sewall began his professional career in Maine at the Relais & Chateau White Barn Inn. He then moved to Europe, working for Albert Roux in London and Amsterdam before returning to Boston and a position at L’Espalier. From there, Chef Sewall moved to the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, California. In 2000, as executive chef of Lark Creek Inn, Sewall was one of five chefs in the country nominated as a Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation. He moved back to the Northeast in 2003 as opening executive chef at Great Bay restaurant. After two years, he left Great Bay to follow his dream of running his own restaurant. In February 2006, Sewall and his wife opened Lineage, which was recognized by many publications over the years, including Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, Boston Magazine, and the Boston Globe. In 2009, Sewall’s friendship with Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks owner Garrett Harker led to a stint as collaborating chef of the heralded Kenmore Square hot spot. In 2010, they teamed up with Skip Bennett, the founder of Island Creek Oysters, to bring the Island Creek Oyster Bar to the city of Boston. In the fall of 2013, the trio opened their second restaurant, Row 34. And in the spring of 2017, Sewall opened Les Sablons in Cambridge’s historic Harvard Square. He released his first cookbook, James Beard Award-nominated The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes, with co-author Erin Byers Murray in 2014. Two years later, Sewall co-authored a second book, Oysters: A Celebration in the Raw, with Marion Swaybill.

Lu Valena (MET’16) is a multidisciplinary artist and researcher. They hold a BA in studio art from Hampshire College and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. Valena is the former owner of the coffeehouse and gallery Voltage Coffee & Art (2010–2015) and currently serves as executive director of the interdisciplinary call-and-response art magazine Bait/Switch. Their artwork has been shown in galleries and other spaces throughout the country, including Level99, Webster Arts, the Shelter in Place Gallery, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Their research interests lie in the places where art and food come together within “high” and “low” culture, and recent projects have focused on the evolving hyperrealistic cake decorating movement.

Courses

MET ML 672 – Food and Art