Jennifer Russell is a founding producer at The Splendid Table. Before coming to radio, she made historical and arts and cultural programming for public television. She claims to have come out of the womb a food lover -- when other girls played house, she played restaurateur. Follow her comings and goings on Twitter: @jenejentweets.
Michaele Weissman is the author of God in a Cup.
Andy Crouch is the author of GREAT AMERICAN CRAFT BEER: A Guide to the Nation's Finest Beers and Breweries.
The Perennial Plate is an online documentary series dedicated to socially responsible and adventurous eating. The episodes follow the culinary, agricultural and hunting explorations of chef and activist Daniel Klein and filmmaker Mirra Fine.
Michel Richard is a chef, restaurateur and author. He has received several James Beard awards and is the author of Home Cooking with a French Accent and Happy in the Kitchen.
Julia Reed is an author and writer. She is a contributing editor for Newsweek, where she writes the monthly “Food and Drink” column, and has written for Vogue, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times, The Spectator and Southern Accents. She is the author of Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena, Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties and The House on First Street.
Chris Fair is an assistant professor in the Center for Peace and Security Studies within Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a senior fellow with the Counter Terrorism Center at West Point. She previously served as a senior political scientist with the RAND Corporation, a political officer to the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan in Kabul, and as a senior research associate in USIP's Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention. She is the author of Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States.
Padma Lakshmi is an actress, model, writer and host of the television show "Top Chef." She has written two cookbooks: Easy Exotic, which won the International Versailles Prize for Best First Cookbook, and Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet. She has appeared in "30 Rock," "The Ten Commandments," "Sharpe's Challenge," "Mistress of Spices," and modeled for Ralph Lauren, Emmanuel Ungaro, Alberta Ferretti, Versus and Roberto Cavalli.
Steven Hopp is the founder and director of the Meadowview Farmers Guild. He is the co-author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and has published papers in bioacoustics, ornithology, animal behavior and sustainable agriculture. He is an adjunct professor of environmental studies at Emory & Henry College.
Camille Kingsolver is an advocate for the local-food movement and co-author of the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.