1) Where were you or what were you doing when you first learned about UNISG?
I was living in San Francisco and my car had just been towed. I found solace in a book shop where I found the cookbook, “The Pleasures of Slow Food.” I immediately became engrossed in both the recipes and the stories. As soon as I had my car again, I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients to test one of the recipes. Later, I googled “slow food” and soon discovered the program for the Masters in Food Culture and Communication. I thought, “Yes! Food and Words.” My two passions and resolved that day to one day apply.

2) What part of the UNISG experience has left its mark on you most?
The people.

3) What job do you do now and how did you find it?
I am a freelance food writer. How did I find it? I wrote! Freelance writing is like bounty-hunting – you are always searching for the next story, where to pitch it, etc. It’s never-ending and similar to the food chain. I had a strong appetite in the beginning and was tenacious. It’s still very hard, but I am constantly learning and creating – something that the Masters and UNISG in general values. Now, I have built something of my own.

4) Is there something from the UNISG experience that you think about or use specifically in your working life?
Food touches everything. It is pervasive. I think the Masters and its interdisciplinary nature is indicative of that. It taught me to think more broadly about food and the connections to it. This is invaluable with journalism and any form of writing. Food is a challenging subject since it embodies both the tangible and the intangible. That’s the challenge of writing about it, but one that I feel equipped to tackle on a daily basis.

5) If you could go back in time to when you were an UNISG student and give yourself a piece of advice, what would that be?
Enjoy. Like food, the program, the people, and experience are all a gift, but they are also a means not an end.

Molly Hannon
mollyphannon@gmail.com