Contributors

[accordions]
[accordion title="Laura Cartagena"]

Posts by Laura

Laura is a recent graduate of Fordham University, where she studied Communications & Photography. Born in Texas and raised in South Beach, Laura traded in the sunshine for seasons, and after living in NYC for five years she considers herself a bona fide New Yorker. Laura is Portuguese, Spanish, and Colombian and, thanks to her parents’ generosity, she spent her childhood traveling around the world and discovering all the amazing things it has to offer. She now works in television as a freelance On-Air Scheduler and hopes to one-day work for the mecca—HBO.
Laura is happiest snapping photos of anyone and everyone who will let her. She also has an intense love of discovering new restaurants, music, and art. Oh, and she’s a hair-twirler. It’s an addiction, ok?
[/accordion]

[accordion title="Alana Jasso"]

Posts by Alana

Born and raised amidst Monterrey’s towering mountains, Alana grew up engulfed in Mexico’s rich culture and beautiful traditions. Whenever she wasn’t on a horse or around one, Alana devoted her time to teaching English and Art at a local public school and a nearby orphanage. Alana considers herself a traveler, not a tourist, and would become a part-time gypsy if only her mother would let her. Always the adventure seeker, Alana takes great pride in her stories about Gorilla trekking in the DR Congo, hanging out with Ugandan pygmies, zip lining in the Amazon and camping in the vast Australian outback. By transferring to Fordham University to major in Communications and International Studies, Alana was forced to leave her beloved Mexico, but who can complain about getting to live in one of the most amazing cities in the world? She is currently on a mission to discover NYC’s best guacamole and is always on the lookout for those diamonds in the rough, those unique, undiscovered places that one can only seem to find in NYC. She is passionate and outspoken about the challenges facing her country, especially the escalating violence in recent years and the pervasive corruption in politics and law enforcement. She is happiest anywhere with live music that serves cold beer and anything covered with Buffalo sauce. Either that or riding her horse, Brinfox. She hopes to one day be able to do both at the same time.[/accordion]
[accordion title="Taylor Smith"]TAYOR NEEDS A DESCRIPTION[/accordion]

[accordion title="Greg Calosso"]

Posts by Greg

Greg is originally from Manhasset, NY but now resides on the shore in South Carolina as a Healthcare Consultant. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Nutritional Sciences in 2009 and followed with a Master of Health Administration (MHA) in 2011. He was an active leader and member of his fraternity, often contributing by hosting lavish “Wine and Cheese” events and cooking for over 120 people. While in Ithaca, he visited almost every restaurant in the area and wrote a guide to food in the Finger Lakes which was widely distributed on campus. His knowledge of food stems from cooking with his Italian grandmother from age three and developing an appreciation for gourmet food pairings from his father, a former President of a gourmet food import company. Greg dove into becoming a foodie while an undergraduate in college finding his attention often devoted to culinary masters including Bobby Flay, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Geoffrey Zakarian, and Marcus Samuelsson (he was enthralled when he found out the contestants for this season’s Next Iron Chef). However, Greg found his true personality connection with the candid and brilliant Anthony Bourdain of whom he became an avid follower (especially due to their equal lack of respect for Rachel Ray) and is also a follower of David Rocco. Greg applied, but was not selected, to appear in Chopped and Next Food Network Star. He hopes to one day transform his restaurant concept of weekly global travel alcohol and food pairing tasting menus into a reality, and has also developed his own style of nutrient deconstructivism cuisine. Given his academic background, Greg is an entrepreneur and has a deep knowledge of business, yet Greg mainly holds a wealth of knowledge in nutrition and healthcare, and their favorite counter parts: tobacco and alcohol.[/accordion]

[accordion title="Phil Chevalier"]PHIL NEEDS A DESCRIPTION[/accordion]

[accordion title="Veronica Mendez"]VERONICA NEEDS A DESCRIPTION[/accordion]

[accordion title="Craig Mason"]
Craig is a Senior at Cornell University, majoring in hotel administration and minoring in real estate. Hailing from “Wild and Wonderful” Buckhannon, West Virginia, he is odd blend of traditional country values and Ivy League perspective. He is the son of a small business owner, proud compatriot in the Sons of the American Revolution, and former Cornell fraternity president. Craig loves country music, tobacco, the outdoors, and soccer. His voice comes to Current Ground through the suggestion and graces of his friend and roommate Matt, who has most often found merit and wisdom in Craig’s composition of words, only this time they’re written down. He’d love to describe what his contribution to CG will focus on, but in the words of an honest Appalachian, it’s “hard to tell.”[/accordion]
[accordion title="Sarah MK Moody"]

Posts by Sarah

Sarah MK Moody is really a mixed up girl. Born in Chicago during a blizzard, moved to the shores of Manhattan Beach, California to move again to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, residing for a few years on South Beach to move more permanently to New York City. She has been an artist her whole life, sketching on the floors of the Met and photographing the crashing waves and her changing idea of home. She takes photographs to create stories from her memories. Having just finished college, she is seeing how it feels to be free from school for a couple years. Conversations and ideas inspire her everyday as she explores the streets of Brooklyn on foot and bicycle. One day, she will run some sort of collaborative art and lecture space. Check out her website and blog.[/accordion]
[accordion title="Tim Jr."]TIM NEEDS A DESCRIPTION[/accordion]
[/accordions]