This Long Island gal misses open water here in land-locked Indianapolis, but it's the Hoosier spirit (and some delicious meals) that ultimately beats the Big Apple to keep her here.

As a kiddo in New York, Emily's parents brought her along for reservations at Manhattan restaurants. "I remember towering charcuterie stands at the old-school French places, and we'd always get duck with plum then crepes for dessert," she says about the early days that inspired her interest in good food. 

The journalism school at Indiana University first tempted her away from New York, and after graduation, she stayed in Bloomington. "I met people that I loved here," Emily says, and Indiana's blossoming food scene only sweetened the deal. When she's out to eat, steamed mussels with chorizo catch her attention while at home in the kitchen, the folks Emily loves are also lucky to tuck into her seared pork chops with mushrooms, wine, and shallots. "I pat the pork chops dry -- it's the key to getting that delicious sear."

Emily says she did a happy dance the first time she tasted Smoking Goose's Duck Prosciutto, and chances are good that was no simple two-step. Performing on stage in her free time has earned Emily the associate producer position for a local troop. "There's nothing like the sound of applause," she muses.

The stage and the kitchen may vie for her free time, but her work time spans years with both independent groceries and large-scale specialty food merchants. Emily brings an insider's perspective as she works with Smoking Goose's grocery partners. Ask her for more secets to searing those perfect pork chops and help us welcome Emily to the Goose Gang!