Marisa has been besotted with Gourmet since her first day as a freelance fact checker in 2004. She joined the magazine full time the following year, and was promoted to research chief in 2007. Though she grew up in the food mecca of the Bay Area and spent much of her childhood in Europe, she is plagued by early culinary memories of margarine, powdered milk, and “parmesan” cheese. In addition to Gourmet, Marisa has written for publications including the Los Angeles Times, Robb Report,The Advocate, and The Forward. She’s an avid (some would say obsessive) traveler; when she’s not at work, it’s a good bet she’s in another country.