I've always been a writer, but it took me way too long to realize that food writing is where it's at (poetry and short stories are certainly not where it's at, as it turns out). In September 2011, I started Macmaker, a blog where I waxed poetic about opening a French macaron stand in a farmers market, reviewed macarons around Chicago, tried making them myself exactly 11 times, and ultimately gave up in favor of the less-volatile and equally delicious whoopie pie. While researching macarons, I remained a faithful devotee of Serious Eats and became a contributor to the Chicago site soon after it launched, a fact I am still dumbfounded by.