Jessica Riggio

• As a journalist, she's written about everything from Hawaii's resort dining to agriculture in South Dakota's Badlands, backwoods bar food to toes-in-the-sand martinis.
• Jessica wrote a nutrition book for a juice bar she managed in California while learning Ashtanga Yoga. She also developed new healthy drinks and wrote the menu for the juice bar.
• An avid traveler with food allergies, she's found gluten and dairy free options in cities across the world, like tacos at a little dive in San Juan or authentic gumbo in Savannah.

Experience

For more than 10 years, Jessica has worked as a reporter and editor for community newspapers and magazines. She won a first-place award in 2015 from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association for Best Educational Coverage and was the editor-in-chief of The Garden Island Newspaper on the island of Kauai. During her career, she was written about small-town crime and politics, endangered animals, health and wellness and everything related to food. She's covered openings of restaurants and distilleries, bartender contests and kombucha debuts, farm-to-table delights and events like the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. Travel, food and writing are the main pillars of life for Jessica, who currently writes about local events and foodie destinations for various publications, online and in print.

Education

Jessica holds a bachelor's degree in mass communications with an emphasis of studies in print journalism.