Catherine Jessee Title: Test Kitchen Assistant Education: University of Virginia, University of Mississippi Location: Birmingham, Alabama Expertise: Recipe Testing, Recipe Developing, Southern and Appalachian Foodways and Culture, Food Writing, Foraging Cultures Catherine Jessee is a Test Kitchen Assistant in the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She has tested recipes for brands including Allrecipes, EatingWell, Food & Wine, Real Simple, People, and Southern Living.Prior to joining the Food Studios, she accumulated three years of experience cooking in restaurants. She is also a writer and has contributed to publications like Domino Magazine, The Knot Magazine, and Wildsam Almanacs.Catherine received her M.A. in Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, where she worked as a line cook at Tarasque Cucina and served as a Nathalie Dupree Graduate Fellow with the Southern Foodways Alliance.Catherine’s expertise focuses on the confluence food and culture; Her Masters Thesis “The Wild Asleep: A Cultural and Environmental History of Ramps” collects oral histories and interviews with foragers, cooks, and avid eaters of wild onions across Appalachia and beyond. Education While at the University of Mississippi, Catherine completed her Masters Thesis “The Wild Asleep: A Cultural and Environmental History of Ramps” which collected oral histories and interviews with foragers, cooks, and avid eaters of wild onions across Appalachia and beyond. She earned the Department of English Graduate Writing Award in the research category. About Southern Living Southern Living, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, celebrates the food, homes, places, and culture of the South. We reach 7.2 million readers a month. Our content is written by experienced journalists and fact checked for accuracy. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.