Advisory Committee

A team of food industry thought leaders has joined the effort to transition SANDE’s IRS designation from mentoring and training activities for young people to a networking space that “promotes artistic expression within a particular ethnic community; works for the preservation and promotion of the traditions, values and lifestyles of different cultural groups; organizes activities and events which promote cultural exchange locally or nationally; and encourages understanding and respect for different cultural heritages among the youthful members of the group as well as the mainstream population.” They are:  

• Ronni Lundy, author of six cookbooks, journalist, and editor.  
• Marcie Cohen Ferris, author, professor emeritus in the Department of American Studies at the  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an editor for Southern Cultures, a quarterly  journal of the history and cultures of the U.S. South.  
• Psyche Williams-Forson, Professor and Chair of the Department of American Studies at Univer sity of Maryland College Park.  
• Sandra Gutierrez, nationally recognized food personality, cookbook author, freelance food writer, and cooking instructor.  
• Cynthia Greenlee, senior editor at The Counter and a University of Georgia Press Editor-at Large.  
• Von Diaz, writer, documentary producer, and author.  
• Asha Gomez, chef, author and creator of The Third Space in Atlanta.  
• Keia Mastriani, writer, cookbook author, baker, and photographer.  
• Lindsey Ofcacek, co-founder, managing director & mentor, The LEE Initiative