In case you missed it, I launched an event series in 2022 called #LatinxIndustryNight. It’s a bartender pop-up started here in Philadelphia where I’ve lived for a decade that showcases the plethora of Hispanic and Latinx rising stars across food and beverage that I’ve had the pleasure of reporting on. And it’s been a hit: 6 events in 3 years, including a first-ever D.C. Latin American wine-tasting mixer $34.7K+ estimated bar/restaurant revenue   800+ estimated attendees 20+ brands and sponsors One of the most beautiful byproducts of starting this event series in 2022 is building ..read more

This story is sponsored by Hotel Nell Union Market. Book your stay at HotelNellDC.com. Living in Philadelphia has spoiled me with quick access to some of the best cities along the Mid-Atlantic. I’ve traveled to D.C. many times, typically in the height of summer, for a whirlwind weekend to mixed results. D.C. requires effort — this city is not immediately easy to fall in love with. It’s a vast city filled with people who hold mysterious and important jobs, oftentimes uninterested in making genuine connections with a stranger at a bar due to their stressful careers. I’ve had a blast in this cit ..read more

Overseeing digital projects and wrangling creative teams demand the right tools and techniques for delivering on-time, quality work. In my career, I’ve seen the most successful project teams be comprised of both creatives and non-creatives who collaborate and align on a belief that there is a better way to get the work done. Below is my playbook for team leads with helpful tips and lessons learned to achieving creative success. Bonus: if executed well, rewarding outcomes lay ahead not only for your internal teams, but your clients. Here's how to set up creative teams for client work success: C ..read more

I’ve been a contributing writer to Resy since 2022, writing restaurant features, in-depth chef profiles, behind-the-scenes info and inspiration on signature dishes, and monthly dining guides. It’s one of my favorite and most rewarding gigs because I get paid to write about my favorite restaurants, chefs, bartenders, and hospitality folk. It’s honestly a dream. Before I go on, let me be clear: I’m not on staff at Resy. I’m not part of the Sales or Marketing team; I have no intel on the mechanics of the platform and don’t have data on their product. I’m just part of their freelance writer networ ..read more

Simply put, if it doesn’t feel right, I will not oblige. I’ve always employed transparent boundaries (to varying degrees of desired results) but the pandemic exacerbated burnout across my personal and professional life. Once I fully transitioned to full-time freelance journalism, demands for my presence rapidly grew and I knew I had to make changes for a more sustainable, long-lasting career that I enjoy. I didn’t want to fall back into the same overworking trap that a decade of corporate agency life put me through. And as someone who treats her inbox as a to-do list and her online presence as ..read more

The wines kept coming: one glass, then two, then five, every few minutes, refilled with a different white, rosé, or red. I was overwhelmed by the number of wines arriving while winemakers gave their spiels at the front of the room. It was a Finger Lakes tasting, held in a ritzy downtown hotel with lavish table settings, expensive charcuterie, and dozens of empty wine glasses. I had finagled an invite, not knowing it was a formal sit-down tasting — my first ever — and I was in over my head.  Was I supposed to finish every wine?  Beside me, a friend sipped, swirled, and then spewed win ..read more

While many others couldn’t, wouldn’t wait out a pandemic to (safely) travel abroad, my partner and I stayed put these past couple of years. But the wait was worth it — we made amazing dream trips happen from road-tripping the American South to celebrating our anniversary in Miami and toasting a birthday in New Orleans. While I bore high levels of wanderlust waiting all this time, I became a more socially conscious traveler, a smarter traveler, and a more empathetic traveler who became hyper-aware of her responsibility as a tourist. We prioritized people on these recent trips - befriending loca ..read more

At the top of 2023, I decided to expand on the practice of boundaries beyond my personal life into my professional life. Not only am I dealing with lifelong generational trauma, financial stress, and anxiety from unstable employment, but I am realizing the freelance work I’ve been so passionate about as a writer is creeping into burnout. So with the motivation of The Nap Ministry, I began communicating and enforcing boundaries. First, via a short Instagram story. Then, through automatic email responses. Later, through email signatures. And more recently and persistently, through direct communi ..read more

The wines kept coming: one glass, then two, then five, every few minutes, refilled with a different white, rosé, or red. I was overwhelmed by the number of wines arriving while winemakers gave their spiels at the front of the room. It was a Finger Lakes tasting, held in a ritzy downtown hotel with lavish table settings, expensive charcuterie, and dozens of empty wine glasses. I had finagled an invite, not knowing it was a formal sit-down tasting — my first ever — and I was in over my head.  Was I supposed to finish every wine?  Beside me, a friend sipped, swirled, and then spewed win ..read more

Strolling through Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square often feels like you’ve been dropped into a European town. Trees shadow fountains adorned by bronze sculptures, friends claim grassy picnic spots, dogs play alongside their owners, and in any given direction from the Center City park there awaits a glass of good wine — just as renowned French architect and park designer, Paul Philippe Cret, intended.  At the eastern edge of 18th and Locust streets sits Parc, a grand Parisian-style bistro where family and friends linger over glasses of classic French wines. The Love, a recent New Ame ..read more