Other
Kaitlyn Goalen
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Author Kaitlyn Goalen’s work is built on editorial discipline and a steady appetite for the structures around food: hospitality, local food systems, and sustainability. From New York University into the editorial engine of Tasting Table, and then into bylines for Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, and Liquor.com, her career tracks how food media is made, shaped, and maintained. The throughline is attention — to the table, to the producer, and to the systems that hold a food culture together.
The Path
Training at New York University led Kaitlyn Goalen into editorial work at Tasting Table in New York City, where the role of editor set the tone for a career rooted in precision and close reading of food culture. That experience positioned her to move between restaurants, producers, and the broader conversation around how food is represented. Since 2014, Kaitlyn has been a contributor of Liquor.com, and she is also editor and co-founder of Short Stack Editions, as well as executive director of AC Restaurants. Those roles place her across writing, editing, and operations, with each one informing the others.
The Work Today
Today, Kaitlyn Goalen works as an author, creative strategy consultant, and executive leadership advisor, while also serving as editor and co-founder at Short Stack Editions. Her current work keeps editorial thinking in contact with organizational decision-making. The writing side remains active through her work at Tasting Table and Liquor.com, while the advisory work extends the same focus on hospitality, local food systems, and sustainability into broader strategy. In that combination, her practice stays grounded in how food media and food businesses actually function: through language, structure, and the choices that give them shape.
Signature
Kaitlyn's signature dishes include The Short Stack Cookbook, Poole's: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner, It's Always Freezer Season, and Cook Like a Local. Each title shows a different register in her output. The Short Stack Cookbook suggests a compact, concept-driven format; Poole's: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner carries more narrative weight; It's Always Freezer Season and Cook Like a Local extend that range into practical cooking, place, and the everyday logic of food.
Acclaim
Her published work spans Tasting Table, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, and Liquor.com, placing Kaitlyn Goalen across a wide field of food and lifestyle publishing. That range, together with her leadership at Short Stack Editions, shows a practice that moves between writing, editing, and executive work without losing coherence. The result is a body of work defined by steady commitment to food media and the craft of shaping it.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Kaitlyn
What is Kaitlyn Goalen's current role?
As of 2026, Kaitlyn Goalen is Contributor of Liquor.com.
Where did Kaitlyn Goalen train or study?
Kaitlyn Goalen trained at New York University.
What is Kaitlyn Goalen known for?
Hospitality, local food systems, and sustainability.
