Meet dawnviola

At the age of, er, never mind, I decided to get a second degree in culinary arts. Culinary school is something I've wanted to do since high school, but at the time, it seemed more practical to get a degree in graphic design. I followed the art path, working in advertising as a creative director and copywriter for the past 18 years, and am currently a marketing manager for Disney. Specifically, I make mini documentaries on how Disney runs its business. And yes, it's a VERY fun job!

Being at Disney, I'm fortunate enough to have access to kitchens throughout property, so I've been trailing my way through everything from QSR to fine dining as I attend culinary school part-time.

My lofty goal, when all is said and done, is to combine marketing + food writing + recipe testing and development; and somehow convince the world they should eat dinner with their family every night, no matter what. Not sure how I'll accomplish all this just yet, but I'm having a ball trying to figure it all out. In my spare time, I'm a food writer for Examiner.com, and also a competitive cook...and a mom and wife, too.

When I'm not on Chef2Chef, you can find me at Wicked Good Dinner and Examiner: Orlando Cooking Examiner.