Yolanda Jones, Flavors' Publisher, is passionate about food, wine and entertaining and about spreading the word about Atlanta's terrific culinary community. She began her publishing career working on a local newcomer's and visitor's guide, within which was a dining section called "Flavors." In 2003, she hired photographer John Haigwood for a project. The two hit it off over their shared interest in all things edible and the idea sparked to publish a magazine wholly dedicated to the subject. Their partnership sparked the creation of Flavors Magazine.
Shelley Skiles Sawyer’s passion for food and entertaining is deeply rooted in several generations of women who treasure every aspect of cuisine, from seed to plate. A detour as an attorney practicing international corporate law brought her to Atlanta, where she nurtured her creative side by reviewing restaurants for various publications around town. She eventually heeded the culinary call and began producing food-related features for CNN. Beginning in 1997, she served as the local editor of Zagat Survey’s Atlanta Restaurants guide for 17 years. She is a member of Southern Foodways Alliance and a founding member of the Atlanta chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier. Shelley is the managing food editor for this publication.
Among Kelly Skinner’s most vivid childhood memories are the hours she spent at her grandmother’s side, helping her decorate (and “taste”) batch after batch of pink cupcakes. Years later, Skinner’s sweet tooth has blossomed into a full-on love affair with food. An Atlanta-based writer and editor, Skinner’s articles on food and lifestyle topics have appeared in a range of magazines and Web sites including Paste, South Magazine, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Living Intown, The Atlantan and Redbook.
Kate Abney has had a passion for magazines, writing and the visual arts since kindergarten. The South Carolina native pursued these fields avidly throughout high school and college, landing a handful of high-profile internships, including a career-pivotal one at BRIDES, a Condé Nast publication. Following her graduation from the College of Charleston, Abney worked as an editorial assistant at Southern Accents and InCircle Entrée magazines in Birmingham, Ala. She then spent nearly four years as an editor at Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles before becoming managing editor at JEZEBEL and a contributing editor to The Atlantan magazine. Abney has contributed to HGTVGardens.com, Better Homes & Gardens, Charleston magazine, Charleston HOME, Charleston Weddings, BRIDES’ Receptions, BRIDES’ Honeymoons & Weddings Away and more. She also works as a copywriter for several private clients. In her spare time, Abney enjoys road trips across the South, indie concerts, vintage shopping and trying the latest cocktails, craft beers and gourmet coffees the city has to offer. Abney researches and writes “Your Table Is Ready” for Flavors, covering the city’s most exquisite kitchen and dining tools and décor.
Denise Wellenstein has pursued various forms of art-making throughout her life-long career as an artist, including photography, drawing, painting, video and installation art, as well as performance art. Since earning her master’s degree in imaging arts from Rochester Institute of Technology, she has immersed herself in digital imaging processes and graphic design. She has been with Haigwood Studios Photography for more than ten years, where she works closely with photographer John Haigwood as the company’s sole graphic designer and production artist. Denise’s love of color and the elements of design is also evident in her work as a painter of abstracts in oils. Denise is the creative director and graphic designer for this publication.
Kyle Ripley is a graduate of The Art Institute of Atlanta with a degree in photographic imaging. He graduated with “Best Portfolio” honors in 2011 and has earned several ADDY Awards for his photographic illustrations. Since graduating, he has worked in Atlanta as a freelance photographer. His photographic work is also published in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine and Attorney at Law Magazine. Ripley has honed his food photography skills with John Haigwood and is the primary contributing photographer for this publication.
Courtland Toney decided to pursue his dreams of acting after serving five years in the US Navy. Moving from Florida to Atlanta in 2008, he took the plunge into his dreams nose first. While doing well in acting, he decided to learn the other side of the camera and soon graduated from the The Art Institute of Atlanta with a degree in film. He recently decided to learn photography, taking on an internship at Haigwood Studios.
Flavors’ managing editor Jennifer Bradley Franklin is an Atlanta-based writer with a lifelong passion for food, travel and culture. Growing up, she spent each Sunday afternoon cooking an adventurous recipe out of her mother’s cookbook collection, and she’s been a die-hard lover of all things culinary ever since. Her work has appeared in People, American Way, GO, Vacation Agent, AOL Travel, Time.com, Jetsetter.com and a host of others. Most days, she has to pinch herself to believe that she has the good fortune of writing about the topics she loves most.
John Haigwood started Flavors with Yolanda Jones in 2003, and they enjoy a wonderful business partnership to this day. John was reared around a natural craftsmanship and age-old artisanry that inspired his vision. In the early 1980s, he began mastering the art of portraiture and later studied at the Art Institute of Atlanta, embracing his passion for a mastery of all forms of photography. He founded Haigwood Studios Photography, Inc. in 1988. With more than 24 years of experience in photography, John continues to remain abreast of current trends, contributing his own unique style and helping to shape the visual evolution of the industry. John has earned quite a reputation in Atlanta as a commercial photographer for such local and national companies as Rubbermaid, Yamaha, Coca- Cola, Floor & Decor, Calphalon and The Home Depot, to name just a few. John is the director of photography for this publication. He lives in Roswell, Ga. with his wife, Cindy, and their three children.
Donna Brousseau is a certified chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institute (now International Culinary Center) in New York City. After graduating, Chef Brousseau hit the road and headed to France and Italy, where she completed culinary internships. In France, Chef Brousseau laughingly confesses to earning the nickname “La Gourmande” (“the one who loves to eat”). Then she was off to Canada, where she studied wine and spirits for two years. In her quest to help others eat healthfully, Brousseau had a healthy cooking show on CNN—“Accent Health”—for 3 1/2 years. She presently splits her time between Atlanta and Italy, and has written about her many experiences in magazines and newspapers throughout North America.
Whitney Miller’s passion for the art of cooking began at an early age. At 22, she won the show “Masterchef,” gaining the title of Fox’s first U.S. Masterchef. Miller has conducted cooking demonstrations for events including 2012 Cape Town’s Good Food and Wine Show in South Africa with chefs such as “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro. She has participated in volunteer work with nonprofit organizations and events such as the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation and the 2012 Tebow Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament, cooking for celebrities such as Rascal Flatts and Tim Tebow. Miller acts as a motivational speaker and presenter for organizations and events. She is the author of the cookbook Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm (Rodale, 2011), with a foreword by Gordon Ramsay, and is currently working on her second cookbook. Her recipes and/or book promotions have appeared in People, Women’s Health, Masterchef, Clean Eating and Cooking Light magazines. Every issue, she writes for Flavors’ Modern Hospitality department.
Sara Craig- Goodell, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Atlanta
and Georgia Tech, is a Texas native with an intense curiosity for all things
culinary. As a child, her summers were spent in her grandparents’ orchard deep
in the heart of Mexico, where she came to adore fresh fruits, nuts and
vegetables. Continuing her lifelong education in food, she is the Assistant Market Manager at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Sara is Flavors’ social media and Web site
manager.
Darren Orr, contributing photographer, attended The Art Institute of Atlanta for video and film, and since then, he’s been involved in many different photographic opportunities around Georgia, including live music events, artist shoots, event photography, and video shoots. He’s passionate about food and lifestyle photography and portraits. As for videography, Darren plans on being a part of future documentaries on current events and hot topics, along with other commercial and musical projects.