Katie Barreira
Birmingham,AL
Summary
Food media veteran with two decades of experience writing recipes and producing culinary content for national publications including, Real Simple, Rachael Ray EveryDay, Cooking Light, Food & Wine, Cook’s Illustrated, The Edible franchise and The Boston Globe. At home in Test Kitchens, with 15 years of operations and management experience.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Test Kitchen Director
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Birmingham, AL
01.2021 - 01.2023
- Lead a team of 25+ Test Kitchen Professionals and Recipe Editors in pitching, developing, testing and editing recipes for over a dozen print and digital brands, maintaining quality and efficiency. (See "Founding Test Kitchen Director" for full scope of responsibilities.)
- Adapt existing Food Studios practices to serve new, digital-first brands including, Serious Eats, The Spruce, Verywell.
- Create and implement a new workflow for capturing publishable step shots during recipe testing to maximize SEO. Deliver step-by-step photos with all recipes produced in-studio.
- Integrate Commerce into Test Kitchen workflow. Develop methodology for brand-specific product testing and reviews.
- Train Test Kitchen staff in new Content Management System
- Navigate Food Studios through three ownership changes in just over 5 years.
Test Kitchen Director
Meredith Food Studios
Birmingham, AL
01.2017 - 01.2021
- Integrate legacy Meredith brands into the Food Studios. AllRecipes, Martha Stewart Living, Eating Well, Parents, Magnolia Journal, Rachael Ray Every Day, Shape, Family Circle and Better Homes & Gardens
- Food & Wine relocates headquarters (editorial and test kitchen) to Birmingham. Develop relationships and trust with brand editors, adapt workflow for high-touchpoint chef recipes.
- Magnolia Table Cookbook: Lead recipe testing for Magnolia Table Cookbook v.2. Host Joanna Gaines and team on-site to taste 145 recipes in 3 days. Cookbook dedicated to Food Studios leadership.
- Assume leadership role in addressing issues of DE+I in recipe publishing. Serve on company-wide senior leadership taskforce on representation food media. Consult with inclusivity experts and produce DE+I focused best practices guide for the test kitchen. Create safe space for Tester/Developers to raise real-time questions/concerns.
- Create Test Kitchen Internship program for paid apprenticeships in the craft of recipe testing, creating internal pipeline of talent.
Founding Test Kitchen Director
Time Inc. Food Studios
Birmingham, AL
01.2015 - 01.2017
- Member of 5-person management team tasked with establishing the Time Inc. Food Studios: a 40,000-square-foot space with 28 test kitchens, 2 live-steam demo kitchens, 13 photography studios, 2 video studios and a private event space.
- First in industry to hub food content ideation, recipe development, testing, food styling, prop styling and photography for 16 brands under one roof. Integrate the test kitchens of 4 in-house brands and assume responsibility of 12 NY and CA based brands (Cooking Light, Southern Living, Time Inc. Books, Coastal Living, Extra Crispy, Health, Hellogiggles, InStyle, Real Simple, People, MyRecipes.com, Special Interest Media, Well Done, Sunset, Entertainment Weekly, Essence.)
- Create new organizational structure and workflow to increase efficiency through centralized production, while maintaining best-in-class content for every publication.
- Collaborate with FarmersWife to build scheduling/project-management software tool for high-volume content creation. Significantly cut production costs, while preserving quality. In year one, the Food Studios developed, tested and photographed over 4,000 recipes and created 1,500-plus food videos.
- Guide the formulation and implementation of new, company-wide Universal Recipe Style.
- Conceptualize proprietary market order system to support 30+ Test Cooks and Food Stylists.
- Oversee daily test kitchen work to ensure on-time delivery of brand appropriate work: Lead full-time staff of 19 direct reports in the production of best-in-class recipes and food content; assign staff based on core strengths; attend tastings to provide direction and uphold recipe quality; maintain recipe-editing standards; ensure ESHA nutrition analysis met; ensure quality test kitchen images for photo briefs.
- Contribute recipes and food features to select publications.
- Attract, hire and retain top test kitchen talent to Birmingham, AL. Successfully recruited talent from NYC, Philly, SF, ATL and London.
- Coordinate demos, videos + podcasts with visiting chefs and industry leaders.
- Develop and host web videos and Facebook Live segments for Food&Wine, Southern Living, Cooking Light, Health and MyRecipes.com
- Lead test kitchen tours and tasting experiences for marketers + potential partners. Pitch and produce custom content for third party clients, such as Mutti, Reynold’s, and Diageo.
Test Kitchen Director
Cooking Light
Birmingham, AL
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Oversee recipe production for Cooking Light and Coastal Living. Serve as Editorial Advisor to Coastal Living on all food content
- Manage staff of three full-time Tester/Developers
- Manage test kitchen workflow, budget and operations
- Partner with editors to shape and package content
- Pitch and develop original recipes with full nutritional analysis using Food Processor/ESHA software
- Contribute to editorial calendar planning
- Host instructional cooking videos for cookinglight.com
Food Editor
Every Day with Rachael Ray
NYC
01.2013 - 01.2014
- Produce original food features, acting as recipe developer, reporter/writer and editor
- Evaluate pitches and assign food news and recipe-based stories
- Write and edit monthly column Scratchpad: notes from the test kitchen
- Manage trend and product-based Supermarket Smarts section
- Edit text and recipes according to style guide
- Proofread layouts and copyfit text
- Editorial representative on photo shoots
- Follow trends and generate story ideas with creative packaging concepts
- Establish and maintain industry contacts.
Senior Test Kitchen Associate
Every Day With Rachael Ray, Reader's Digest
NYC
01.2007 - 01.2013
- Conceptualize, pitch and develop recipes for columns and features
- Test recipes from contributing chefs, freelancers and in-house developers
- Liaise with edit dpt. to coordinate testing schedule for 90+ recipes per month
- Food style for photography and video
- Produce and host how-to videos for rachaelraymag.com
- Establish internship program in partnership with the Institute of Culinary Education.
Editorial Intern
Food & Wine
NYC
01.2007 - 01.2007
- Research assistant, recipe tester and product reviewer. Writer of, “From the Editors of Food&Wine,” radio spots.
Test Kitchen Intern/Research Assistant
America’s Test Kitchen
Brookline, MA
01.2005 - 01.2006
- Assisted editors in research, recipe testing+development and product reviews for Cook’s Illustrated.
Line Cook
La Morra
Boston, MA
01.2004 - 01.2005
- Worked up the line from Garde Manger to become the first woman on the wood burning grill station at popular Tuscan fine-dining establishment.
Personal Chef
Homemade Today
Boston, MA
01.2004 - 2005
- Cooked in client's homes, preparing and packaging a weeks-worth of meals in a single afternoon.
- Served clients with special dietary needs from diabetics to professional athletes and pregnant ladies (the toughest of them all!)
Education
Diploma - Culinary Arts
The Institute of Culinary Education
01.2007
BA - English
Bucknell University
01.2004
Skills
- Recipe Testing Development
- Recipe Editing
- Writing/Food Journalism
- Food Content Creation
- Culinary News Trends
- Professional Cooking
- Food Styling
- Nutritional Analysis
- Equipment and Product Testing
- Test Kitchen Operations
- Recipe CMS
HONORS
- JAMES BEARD AWARD FINALIST Cooking/Recipes/Instruction for Pick Your Perfect Thanksgiving, EDWRR
- INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD In recognition of outstanding achievements in the culinary industry and an exceptional career inspiring future generations to find their culinary voice.
- SOCIETY OF PUBLICATION DESIGNERS AWARD. Feature Photography “Seafood Differently” Coastal Living, October 2016
- FINAL TABLE JUDGE, WORLD FOOD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- MEREDITH CREATIVE EXCELLENCE AWARD Rewarding best-in-class creative contribution
Timeline
Test Kitchen Director
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
01.2021 - 01.2023
Test Kitchen Director
Meredith Food Studios
01.2017 - 01.2021
Founding Test Kitchen Director
Time Inc. Food Studios
01.2015 - 01.2017
Test Kitchen Director
Cooking Light
01.2014 - 01.2015
Food Editor
Every Day with Rachael Ray
01.2013 - 01.2014
Senior Test Kitchen Associate
Every Day With Rachael Ray, Reader's Digest
01.2007 - 01.2013
Editorial Intern
Food & Wine
01.2007 - 01.2007
Test Kitchen Intern/Research Assistant
America’s Test Kitchen
01.2005 - 01.2006
Line Cook
La Morra
01.2004 - 01.2005
Personal Chef
Homemade Today
01.2004 - 2005
BA - English
Bucknell University
Diploma - Culinary Arts
The Institute of Culinary Education