Francesca Zani graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York with an Associates degree in Culinary Arts, Spring 2017 and will be obtaining her bachelor's degree this Spring in Applied Food Studies. Currently, Francesca is studying abroad in Puglia, Italy from January to April 2018 with high hopes to find immense inspiration and knowledge of her own heritage. Francesca previously assisted James Beard-nominated cookbook author, Sarah Copeland of Edible Living. She is helped Sarah curate her third cookbook, assisting with recipe development, photo shoots, and other organizational tasks. She also helps freelance food stylists with photo shoots and was a part of the culinary team for Patti Labelle's cooking series that premiered November 2017. In the past, Francesca has worked as a banquet server for Blue Hill at Stone Barns and line cook intern at the Castle Hill Inn, Newport RI. In her personal time, Francesca enjoys styling and photographing her food and baked goods. She posts her work on “The Garnished Palate” an Instagram profile used as her food portfolio. She also maintains a food blog under the same name “The Garnished Palate.” She previously created and edited a food media focused digital magazine to inspire students about the field of food media. The magazine was published as a special edition project with the help of the CIA's Media Relations. Francesca has also produced some published work for her school's newspaper La Papillote and the Digital Media club where she holds a position as vice president. Francesca is very passionate about food print and video media and hopes to one day work with a Prestigious food publication or production company where she can learn a multitude of skills under professional chefs, Stylists, and producers. Julia Child Foundation for writing scholarship- 2016 www.francescazani.com