CIA Alumni Bio
When you think of a magazine editor, the image of a red marker slashing through a writer’s much-loved words comes to mind. And that image—tempered by the fact that most editing is now done on the computer—still holds true. But when you talk to Pamela about her last job as executive food editor at Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN), she also tells you about her trip to Turkey to follow a story about the hazelnut, her visit to Mexico’s avocado growers to learn about the luscious green fruit, or standing on a beach in Iceland eating Hákarl—fermented shark.
Today Pamela the program coordinator for Health Promotion Council, PHMC overseeing the food program serving up to 800 individuals in homeless shelters in Philadelphia. Pamela has always loved recipes and the written word in equal parts. But she also knew that to successfully write about food you had to taste a lot and learn to really cook. After receiving a degree in journalism and business at New York University, she entered the CIA. Upon graduation she headed to Geneva, Switzerland, where she worked hard and ate all kinds of food to gather as much culinary input as possible. When Pamela returned to the U.S., she joined the kitchen at the renowned La Crémaillère in Banksville, NY. But food writing was still a dream. She took courage in hand and called the editor of Cook’s Illustrated to ask for the job she wanted—food writer. She got it and from there eventually moved to NRN.
Pamela continues to freelance as a food editor and writer bringing her special knowledge and insight as a CIA graduate to every project.
Chef Pamela Parseghian majored in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. is a freelance food writer and editor and program coordinator for Health Promotion Council, PHMC in Philadelphia, PA.