Our Contributors

Wendy Allen

was born and raised in the cornfields of Iowa, and after multiple attempts to escape to other parts of the world, she found herself pulled back to the black Midwestern earth of her roots. She now calls the Driftless region of Southwest Wisconsin home, where she found a passion for organic food and discovered that fields can be filled with things other than corn. Still the wandering soul, she travels far and often, and has come to know that the most meaningful art is nestled in the places one calls home.

Jeanne Carpenter

is a cheese geek, but she didn't start out that way. Raised on Velveeta on a family farm in Wisconsin, after college she worked as a journalist and then as a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. Today, as part of her own company, Wisconsin Cheese Originals, Jeanne promotes artisan cheeses for a living. She founded the annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival, held every November in Madison, where consumers meet more than 50 cheesemakers and sample hundreds of Wisconsin original cheeses.

Susan Gloss

lives, writes, cooks, eats, mothers and works as an attorney in Madison. She is passionate about raising awareness of sustainable lifestyle choices through writing. She maintains a blog on fiction, fashion, food and wine called Glossing Over It.

Shannon Henry Kleiber

is a former Washington Post staff writer and co-founder of Cooking With Friends. She lives in Madison with her husband and two daughters. Her second book, which is about Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, is due out in the Spring from Sourcebooks.

Jim Klousia

holds a Communication and Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. A Wisconsin native, he is a local adventurer who loves food, photos and a good wheat beer. He is passionate about enjoying food with others and capturing life in Southern Wisconsin through photography.

Dani Lind

has spent the last 10 years as the produce manager/buyer at the Viroqua Food Co-op, helping customers decide what's for dinner (something fresh and local, of course!). She co-owns a catering business, Rooted Spoon Culinary, with Edible Madison co-contributor Macon Luhning. Dani loves to grow and preserve her own vegetables, herbs, and fruits and help husband Mike Lind raise grass-fed steers and chickens on their farm near Soldiers Grove. You can find her hawking produce at the Co-op in Viroqua and at the Driftless Organics CSA stand at the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison and writing the CSA’s newsletter.

Macon Luhning

has an undeniable love for food and 17 years experience working in the restaurant and food industry. With a strong leaning toward seasonal and local ingredients, his perspective on food and cuisine has developed into a lifestyle. Macon now applies his experience and passion volunteering in the community to educate about local food, working in marketing for Organic Valley and co-owning Rooted Spoon Culinary with Edible Madison co-contributor Dani Lind.

Jessica Luhning

is inspired by people and places that care about good food. Her education and work in sustainable food systems and natural resource planning and geography gives her a natural lens for writing about food and farming. She has managed a farmland preservation program and is a founding member of the Valley Stewardship Network’s Food & Farm Initiative. Currently, she manages her own grant writing and project development consulting business, Earth Vision LLC, which focuses on renewable energy and sustainable agriculture projects. She lives in Viroqua with her husband, Macon, and son, Camas.