Maria A. Montalvo

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Location
Edmonds, WA
School
University Of New Mexico
Expertise
Food History, Restaurant & Hospitality Industry, Dining Trends
  • Maria owned a restaurant for nearly 20 years with her husband and is passionate about the restaurant and hospitality industries.
  • She enjoys adding historical and human behavioral context to stories about the foods, chefs, restaurants, and gathering spaces we love.
  • She writes two syndicated columns, a named column of her own observations called "Moment's Notice" for the Beacon newspapers and, as a former restaurant owner, a restaurant and arts review called "Arts & Appetite."

Experience

Maria joined Static Media as a freelance journalist in 2024 and has worked as a professional writer since 2011 while concurrently serving as a senior business development executive and the director of a higher education non-profit. She founded a non-profit to support college students in 2006. She received an award from the White House in 2012, leading to invitations to write academic articles and present to the non-profit industry. She began writing for a regional newspaper in 2011 after repeatedly asking the editor to give her a shot. She has since been asked to write for three newspapers and a regional lifestyle magazine, The Beacon Magazine. She was also the first columnist to write for both the online and printed news outlets for the Beacon Newspapers in a front-page story about climbing Mount Rainier. Her two-part series on her meeting with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, was featured in three newspapers around the Pacific Northwest.

Education

Maria has bachelor's and master's degrees in Political Science and Economics from the University of New Mexico. Her academic writing has included industry journals and online platforms, such as FastWeb, University Business Magazine, and Student Housing Magazine.

Food Republic Editorial Policies

Food Republic’s industry-leading coverage is created by qualified and experienced writers, and is reviewed and fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure everything is accurate and timely. Outside experts are also consulted whenever possible to help deliver factual, up-to-date information.

Our mission is to publish knowledgeable, engaging articles to give readers the information they're looking for, whether that is the news of the day or cooking tips, tricks, and trends. We also bring you recipes you can depend on, as well as reviews and recommendations. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive, current, and accurate content, our team is constantly reviewing and updating articles as necessary. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Maria A. Montalvo