Julia Skinner, PhD

I am the founder of Root, an Atlanta-based fermentation and food history company offering education, research, and consulting for creative projects. I am the first culinary professional or food writer to win 2 40 Under 40 awards in the same year.

I am also a food writer, with regular bylines in national and regional outlets, and I write a popular food newsletter on Substack (rootkitchens.substack.com) A complete list of publications can be found at juliacskinner.com/cv

I am the author of several food history books, including Our Fermented Lives (foreword by Sandor Katz, Storey, 2022), Afternoon Tea: A History (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), and Modernizing Markham (Candlelight Press, 2012), which covers my journey creating modern versions of historic dishes.

I make regular media appearances, including Saveur, Vox, Eater, Insider, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and on the season finale of Hannah Hart’s Buzzfeed show, Edible History.

I am a frequently-cited expert in culinary circles as well, receiving regular asks to present at conferences and events. In 2022, I am the Chair of the International Association of Culinary Professionals' prestigious Book Awards.

I have a PhD in Library and Information Science, where I focused on historical work, as well as a Master’s in Library Science and in Book Art and History, both also history focused, with an emphasis on food history. In addition to my research work, I have worked with historic cookbooks and other rare materials in my previous work in cultural heritage.

I am considered a world expert on historic and modern fermentation, and have extensive experience teaching fermentation as well as writing about it. I am available for educational segments as well as interviews.

I am an expert in food waste reduction, having designed a popular online course on the subject as well as extensive writing in this area, and leading a weekend intensive with the nation’s most celebrated fermentation experts on cooking with food scraps.

I also have expertise related to afternoon tea and the history of tea, as well as the history of food in the United Kingdom and the United States, and the intersection between the two. As all these topics touch on many others (e.g. fermentation connecting to water safety and food security), I am able to speak knowledgeably about how each connects to larger social issues.

I am comfortable being interviewed for TV, radio/podcasts, and for print, and am happy to receive inquiries for all media formats.

Sub specialties:

-Community building and fermentation
-Fermentation education
-History of fermentation (global)
-Fermentation and health
-Fermentation and food security and safety
-Fermentation and food waste
-Food waste reduction
-Southern Appalachian history
-UK food history, Early Modern to present

-Food history

-Community and food
-History of afternoon tea
-Food and colonialism
-History of food waste