World Trade Press Contributors
World Trade Press has spent more than 30 years helping people explore the world—one recipe, one tradition, and one culture at a time. Our collection is unique, created by our own editorial team working hand-in-hand with chefs, writers, and cultural experts from around the globe. These are people who know their country’s food and traditions inside and out, and they bring that first-hand knowledge straight to your table. Sometimes you’ll see their names at the end of an article or recipe, but often the work is a shared effort—layered over time like a slow-simmering stew enriched by many hands.
We build our cookbooks with carefully selected ingredients from the world’s pantry: insider knowledge from those who eat the foods discussed every day, expert writing and editing from the World Trade Press editorial team, and designers with keen eyes who pick out the best images to illustrate the world our cookbooks create. The combined content creates a single table where authentic flavors, food culture and culinary traditions are served up in one place.
Edward G Hinkelman
Edward G. Hinkelman is an international economist with degrees from Tufts University and the University of Paris, and is the CEO/Publisher of World Trade Press. Mr. Hinkelman has more than 32 years’ experience as an importer and exporter, and has traveled to and done business in more than 80 countries. He is the author of the industry standard Dictionary of International Trade, now in its 14th edition, and three other industry reference books. Mr. Hinkelman has been a member of the National District Export Council and a visiting lecturer on trade-related subjects at the University of Michigan, Tufts University, San Francisco State University, numerous TEC (The Executive Committee, now known as Vistage) meetings, and other industry programs and seminars.
His favorite foods vary by location. When in Marseille, he prefers the bouillabaisse; however, a trip to Normandy calls for the coquilles St. Jacques. In an English country pub, he will always order the steak and kidney pie, but in Argentina it’s lomo with a glass of malbec. Other favorite dishes include dim sum in Hong Kong, chiles en nogada in Mexico, phở in Saigon, lamb couscous in Tunisia, and biryani in India. When dining at home he favors cioppino, but with members of the Burgundy Club, it’s all about the hamburger.
Gayle Madison
Gayle Madison’s educational journey flowed from art history to teaching children to a 25-year career in ministry and pastoral counseling in northern California. A native Michigander, she returned to Traverse City with her husband in 2018. She is grounded by the all-encompassing intelligence at the heart of creation and is passionate about exploring the spirit of that energy in the world around her. Her contributions to World Trade Press come from her reflections on travel and the sacred nature of ordinary experience. They come from past and present, including contributions to newsletters, travel blogs, professional magazines, poetry, sermons, and heart-felt reflections. Her writing is filtered through yoga stretches, water-color paintings, long walks in the woods, vigorous swimming, select women friends, and her beloved husband, with whom she lives on a bluff over Lake Michigan.
Gayle’s favorite international dish is Thai red curry with chicken. She loves the red curry sauce with vegetables in warm, soupy coconut milk, and she uses a large spoon to scoop white rice and spicy sauce in the same bite. On cold evenings it is her go-to dinner.
Jenny Fretland VanVoorst
Jenny Fretland VanVoorst is the vice president of content development at World Trade Press. In addition to her work developing cookbooks, she is a writer and editor specializing in educational nonfiction and has written (under her own name and several pseudonyms) more than 150 informational books for readers of all ages. She is an alumna of the University of Minnesota, where she received graduate degrees in English and curriculum and instruction. A vegetarian for more than 25 years, her favorite foods include South Indian curries and Szechuan cold noodle dishes. Fresh seasonal fruit is her love language, and she believes that there isn’t a dish in the world that isn’t made better with the addition of za’atar.
Brielle Burt
Brielle Burt was born and raised in northern Michigan where she earned a bachelor’s degree in technical and professional communication from Ferris State University in Big Rapids. Having worked at several newspapers as a reporter, copy editor, and page designer, Brielle’s background is mostly in journalism. She started working for World Trade Press as a freelance writer at the beginning of 2018 before being hired as a full-time writer and editor in July 2018. She enjoys Latin American cuisine and cooking for her two teenage boys. Some of their favorite recipes include enchiladas, fried rice with shrimp or chicken, and carnitas.
Felicia Topp
Felicia Topp is a native of Traverse City, Michigan, and enjoys the relaxed lifestyle and beauty of all four seasons. Her love of writing, reading, and current events led to a BA in journalism from Michigan State University. She’s worked as a communications specialist for nonprofits and marketing firms and done freelance writing for area companies and publications, including work as a restaurant and book reviewer. Her work at World Trade Press satisfies her curious nature and quest for knowledge. Felicia enjoys trying new recipes and appreciates the Italian approach to cooking—using a few quality ingredients and in-season produce that shine with minimal enhancements. Tex-Mex dishes are family favorites as are soups and cheesy scalloped potatoes—a much requested dish from her son. She loves Thai food as well as ceviche, tuna poke, salads with fruits and nuts, and most anything featuring lemons.
Journey Krajnik
Journey Krajnik is a digital graphic artist at World Trade Press. With a background in design and media arts, she brings an eye for layout and visual storytelling to a variety of projects, including the company’s A to Z World Food cookbook series. She holds a BA in Graphic Design and Media Arts from Southern New Hampshire University and has earned certifications in Adobe software and Meta media tools. In addition to her design work, Journey has spent hundreds of hours in classrooms teaching children and continues to value education as a cornerstone of creativity. A passionate cook and food enthusiast, she especially enjoys working with World Trade Press’s international food content. When she’s not at her desk, Journey can be found hiking the trails of Northern Michigan, tending her garden, or soaking up the sun.
Hope Kang
Hope Kang was the Senior Manager of Editorial Development at World Trade Press. She earned her BA in Spanish language and literature at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has worked as a copywriter and editor for Motorola, as a technical line editor for Free World U, and as an editor in the graphics department at NASA. For United Healthcare, she authored articles on mental health, parenting, and elder care. Conversant in French and Spanish, Hope Kang has lived in Spain, and her favorite travel destinations include Roskilde, Denmark; Glasgow, Scotland; and Israel.
Taylor Holloran
Taylor Holloran has always been an explorer and thinks traveling is one of the most meaningful and fulfilling experiences one can have. He has taken every opportunity he has found to travel the world; after receiving a BA in philosophy from Gettysburg College, he spent time living in Argentina, the Philippines, Cambodia, and New Zealand. His experiences as a traveler and expat lend an authentic perspective to his writing on international business, culture, history, and logistics. Taylor hopes his writing inspires people and gives them the confidence and the tools to go see the world for themselves.
Carly K. Ottenbreit
Carly K. Ottenbreit is a writer and translator specializing in content for academic and trade publications. She studied Spanish, German, and English literatures at the University of Michigan and earned her master’s in comparative literature from Cornell University. Her travels have taken her to more than 50 countries and 37 US states. She currently lives in Germany, where she enjoys their seasonal emphasis on cooking and looks forward to her annual visits to her hometown of Detroit for Coney Island hot dogs, square pizza, and Mexican food. She publishes original long-form personal essays on travel at www.travelographie.com.
Holly Riddle
Holly Riddle grew up on a working farm in the southern United States and understands the cultural importance of local food. Balancing her equal loves for food and writing over the years, she’s contributed to a wide array of magazines, newspapers, and websites, with her primary topics being dining and travel. She’s also worked with several sustainable agriculture non-profits to help create content that educates the world on the importance of “real” food. She currently lives with her husband and two dogs in the farmlands of Pennsylvania, where you’ll always find her typing away, with two of her favorite things nearby—stacks and stacks of cookbooks, and a bottle of good whiskey. No matter where she travels around the world, Chicago is her favorite destination, but she’s always up for a new adventure.
Pamela Hunt
Pamela Hunt is a freelance writer and editor, curious traveler, and amateur foodie living Burlington, Vermont. When not hunched over her computer or scribbling in her tattered notebook, you can find her kayaking on Lake Champlain, sampling the newest Vermont IPA, or figuring out what foods to try on her next travel adventure. Her latest obsession: Lakkris, the licorice/sea salt chocolate bars from Omnom Chocolate, and Skyrgosi, Gæðingur Öl Brugghús’s super-tart gose made with Icelandic yogurt—though not consumed at the same time.
Sunamita Lim
Sunamita Lim’s personal goal is to live healthily and happily to honor the centuries-old tradition that food is medicine. As important is realizing how our diverse cuisines can bridge cultural differences at the “Peace Table.” Lim volunteers for the global Peace Run (peacerun.org), and relishes sampling foods from around the world best summed up as, deriving overall nourishment from enjoying good food.
Elizabeth Freitas
Elizabeth Freitas was the Senior Manager of Linguistic Resources at World Trade Press. She earned her BA in English and German at Hillsdale College, then earned a CELTA from St. Giles College and a teaching credential from Sonoma State University. Her travels have brought her through the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica, including a stint living and teaching English in Cairo. She is conversant in Dutch, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Linda Williams
Linda Williams, as a kid, loved cooking with her mother—a gourmet cook with international tastes, who loved making everything from Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, and Mexican dishes to down-home Southern comfort food. As an adult, Linda has visited and enjoyed the cuisine of countries on six continents. She has also been a freelance writer for over 10 years, with a focus on a broad range of topics, from tech to lifestyle. Linda currently lives in New York, where she enjoys hosting parties for friends, trying out new recipes, and writing for her clients. She loves food from all over the world, but perhaps her favorite meal is still her mother’s Thanksgiving spread—complete with wild mushroom stuffing and rum-spice pumpkin pie.
