Remember that old commercial for Enjoli, the one where the woman was singing about how she could bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never, never, never let you forget you're a man? Well we all know women like that - women who wear many hats, and juggle a multitude of projects and many of them, like NYWCA Board Member Ann McBride, thrive on this multi-tasking. It's possible though, that Ann may just do it better than most.

As a writer (ICE newsletter), graduate student (NYU Food Studies program), professor (NYU class, Food Issues in Contemporary Society), and director (Experimental Cuisine Collective), Ann certainly has her hands full. In addition, Ann is the newsletter liaison and student chapter liaison for the NYWCA. But to hear her tell it, her responsibilities are easy to balance because they all tie into her one love - the food industry. Says McBride, "My passion is the food industry in general. It just so happens that education is one aspect of the industry in which I get to work." And she adds, "As part of that passion for the food industry, writing is a really big part."

McBride's culinary writing experience began with a stint working on-staff for ICE as their communications manager. She loved it so much that when she left three and a half years ago she took the job with her, turning it into a freelance position. Throughout that time, McBride was on the board of the Alliance, a role that, she notes, "is something very important to me. I've been fortunate to have a lot of mentors and so it is very important to be able to give back. And be as active as I can be."

Ann has been involved with the NYWCA and giving back for the past five years. Her reason for joining originally? "I liked that the members at the Alliance were people really like me. Women I could connect with, be inspired by, had a lot in common with. And women who were extremely accomplished but didn't let it go to their heads. It's a friendly organization."

Organization-a quality needed by anyone juggling a lot of balls-is one of those characteristics often attributed to the Swiss. And so it comes as only a small surprise when one discovers that McBride (regardless of her name) is indeed from Switzerland. Her heritage is something she's proud to share with her friends and colleagues, whether she expresses it in English or French - both languages which she speaks fluently. As fluently as she speaks the language of dedication to the NYWCA and all those women aspiring to careers in the food and hospitality field.

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