The Food Team

About

Not just another food blog...

At AuthenticFood.com we believe that the exploration of food is more than just recipes and nutritional information, it is about social experiences and history. Food provides a channel to understand collective identities through social interactions. These social interactions can construct concepts like authentic food.

Our mission is to tell the stories of how we construct ideas of authentic food as well as preserve food stories that perhaps disappear as food evolves with the help of home cooks, chefs, farmers, academics, and restaurant owners.

Janna Tamargo

Founder & CEO

After traveling to almost 30 countries and tasting an array of national dishes, Janna Tamargo, a seasoned internet marketing and advertising professional, realized her growing passion for exploring the deeper connections between food and culture. Each country offered not only unique flavors but also raised questions about the meaning of "authenticity" in food.

A transformative dining experience in Milan, where she shared a table with strangers from different countries, sparked her interest in understanding how food builds social connections and reflects cultural identity. Her curiosity led her to Istanbul, where she studied the sociology of food at Boğaziçi University. She became fascinated by the evolving concept of authenticity, particularly within the context of Istanbul's meyhane culture that has existed for over 100 years. This exploration of how food intertwines with social, political, and economic factors further inspired her to pursue a PhD in sociology at the University of Florida, focusing on food, culture, and authenticity.

Janna founded AuthenticFood.com as a platform to document the exploration of authentic dining experiences and challenge preconceived notions of what "authentic" food truly means; focusing on the fluidity of authenticity and its importance in understanding culinary culture beyond mere taste.

As Seen In:

Rose Goodbread

Content Curator, Sustainability Expert, & Foodie

Rose Goodbread received her masters degree in Global Sustainability, which introduced her to sustainable farming at the Rosebud Continuum. She learned about food systems and sustainable agriculture. Her interest in authentic food stems from her knowledge and experience in sustainable food systems. Rose has worked in community gardens in Florida and North Carolina and is an advocate for food security.

To Rose, authentic food is more than just how the food is prepared or tastes, it is about knowing where the food comes from, how it is grown, and its impact on the community.

Rose hopes AuthenticFood.com can showcase restaurants’ commitment to sustainability and sourcing local ingredients, while portraying their rendition of authenticity. Food plays such a big part in Rose’s life, as it gathers the people that matter most to her from all walks of life to bond over a shared experience and good food. Rose has traveled to many countries and is always amazed at the fact that no matter how different the food is in each country, the same thing is universal: food. Food brings family and friends together at the table. She hopes that authentic food readers can emulate that same feeling through her articles.