Editorial Staff

Jennifer Armentrout, Editor / Test Kitchen Manager

As Senior Food Editor, Jennifer Armentrout makes sure that the magazine's recipes produce great results every time. She began her professional career by working her way through the ranks in several Washington, DC-area restaurant kitchens. After graduating with High Honors from the Culinary Institute of America, Jennifer was asked to stay on at the CIA as an editor and writer in the Books department, where she worked on seven of the Institute's titles, including its flagship cooking text, The Professional Chef. She initially joined the Fine Cooking staff as an assistant editor, but when the original test kitchen director retired, Jennifer jumped at the chance to get back in the kitchen. She's been heading up the Test Kitchen team since 2001. She lives with her husband, young son, and two hyperactive Boston Terriers in Northwestern Connecticut.

Denise Mickelsen, Assistant Editor

Denise's career in food began while she was working as a non-profit fundraiser when she realized that her favorite part of the job was planning menus and choosing wines for the parties she threw. A year later, she graduated with honors from the Institute of Culinary Education. Denise went on to cook at Blue Hill and Fleur de Sel restaurants before taking an internship in the test kitchen at Saveur magazine. She was soon thereafter hired on as assistant editor, testing and researching recipes and learning the art of food styling.

After Saveur, Denise became an associate editor at Martha Stewart Living, and after two years of developing recipes and food styling at Living, she and her chef husband, Bill, relocated to Connecticut so that she could join the staff of Fine Cooking. Denise edits most of Fine Cooking's features (including the entertaining and Cooking Class stories), as well as the Drinks and Food for Thought columns. She lives in Danbury with Bill, their baby boy, Sam, and their mutt, Jack.

Rebecca Freedman, Senior Editor

From early in her career, Rebecca has combined her love of publishing and food, working as everything from a cookbook publicist to managing editor of a nutrition Web site. In 2002, she enrolled at New York's Institute of Culinary Education, where she graduated with high honors. After a stint testing recipes at Good Housekeeping magazine, Rebecca joined the staff of Fine Cooking in 2003. She lives in Stamford, Connecticut with her husband and two young sons.

Sarah Breckenridge, Managing Web Editor

Sarah is the senior web producer for Fine Cooking, where she oversees all interactive content, including videos, blogs, recipes, recipe- and menu-makers, e-newsletters, and an online community of passionate cooks. Sarah has been a magazine and web writer and editor for twelve years, and her work has appeared in such publications as Saveur, Esquire, Self, and New York Magazine's online restaurant guide. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, Sarah apprenticed in the restaurant kitchen of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York, where she developed an abiding commitment to sustainable food systems and local farms.

Sarah lives with her husband in Hamden, CT.

Melissa Denchek, Assistant Editor

As Assistant Editor, Melissa Denchak edits the Preserving the Season, Make It Tonight, Repertoire, and Test Drive columns, in addition to the occasional feature. Prior to joining the team at Fine Cooking in 2009, she worked in an editorial capacity for magazines such as Departures, Black Ink, Budget Travel, and Food & Wine; as an intern at the latter, she contributed to the publication's annual cookbook. She also freelanced for Publishers Weekly, writing regular reviews of food- and travel-related books. Upon receiving her culinary diploma from the Institute of Culinary Education, she determined to satisfy her raging sweet tooth by interning at Financier Patisserie, a French pastry shop based in lower Manhattan. Before settling into a desk job, Melissa worked in Paraguay as a Peace Corps volunteer. She currently lives in Manhattan.