Anniversary arrives with unforgettable memories

June 2026 marks the five-year anniversary of my first column as a food writer for The Daily Sentinel.

Time flies when you’re having fun and working with interesting people! I am forever grateful to the Sentinel’s publisher, Jay Seaton, for taking a chance on me and hiring me.

I told Seaton I wanted the focus of my columns to be food and the intersection of it with life. I didn’t want to be seen solely as a “food critic” and felt that the world had enough negativity without me adding to it. Instead, I wanted my work to help bring people together and saw food as a lovely bridge.

No matter your politics, religion, ethnicity and other ways of identity, food is something that can be a shared, positive tie. Thus, I wanted to be considered a food writer and asked that my column be named “All Things Food.”

Luckily, Seaton agreed and so did my wonderful editors, Ann Wright and Dale Shrull. I remember during my interview, Wright asked if I would run out of ideas. I assured her I would not, and we talked about future stories and my excitement about the topic.

All these years later, I still have endless options for upcoming columns, and this subject continues to inspire me.

At the beginning, I was hired to write a monthly column in the Out & About section of the paper — it’s now called Off The Clock. My column was enjoyed by readers and increased to appearing twice a month.

At the start of 2024, we launched a new column called “Food News” to add even more food content and timely food-related news stories. That meant I wrote weekly, and I shifted my life to focus on this career full-time.

In addition, I write a column for the Sentinel’s annual Western Colorado Hunting guide featuring a wild game recipe. Be on the lookout for this summer’s guide featuring venison with a creamy morel mushroom sauce. In late 2024, the dynamic and award-winning radio duo – Scott Staley and Aly Billingsley – asked me to talk about food with them on their morning show on 107.3 The Outlaw. (The Daily Sentinel’s owner, Grand Junction Media, also owns several radio stations.)

I was nervous, but they made me feel comfortable, and it is now one of my favorite things to do each month.

This job has enabled me to meet so many fascinating people! Ranchers, such as the inspiring Janie VanWinkle, wine makers and fruit producers, individuals at nonprofits such as the Community Food Bank and Meals on Wheels who work tirelessly to alleviate food insecurity, talented chefs from around the world, other writers and countless individuals in the food industry.

When I first started, I applied for and received a press pass to the renowned Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. I thought it would be a great event to learn more and network, but I had no clue where that would take me and the doors it would open.

I treasure the contacts I have made over the years. These relationships have been invaluable and it has been fun to be an ambassador of sorts to them about Western Colorado, too!

In addition to attending events and interviewing people, I receive daily emails from PR firms around the country with invitations to try various restaurants and foods, meet chefs and learn what is trending in the food world. These experiences inform and guide my writing and brings a richness to my knowledge. I now serve on various state and national organizations and volunteer with food-related nonprofits.

I also had the pleasure to work with Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner and introduce him to a charming restaurant in Delta called A&M Creations and the new 7th Street Community Cafe here in Grand Junction.

Watching an interviewing professional such as Warner is humbling, and I’m honored to help shine a light on all the great things that are going on in this beautiful part of Colorado.

Being a guest lecturer for Laurena Davis’ journalism class at Colorado Mesa University was another fun opportunity. Her engaging students asked thought-provoking questions about my job and some even stayed afterward to ask more.

It was such a treat to be around inquisitive college students! (It didn’t hurt that I baked a scrumptious honey cake for them to enjoy during class.)

My job also has found me speaking at the Mesa County Central Library with the Newcomer’s Club about food and my travel to the countries of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. What a terrific crowd!

So many in the audience subscribe to the Sentinel and had different favorite columns. In particular, my two columns earlier this year about Jordan and the Middle East conflict were very well-received. The comments were thankful that I humanized a deeply complex subject.

I look forward to future story opportunities, including learning how to make pie crusts with CMU Tech’s Chef Wayne Smith, showcasing great restaurants, sharing upcoming food-related travel, testing recipes in my kitchen and so much more.

Thanks again to the talented newspaper trio of Seaton, Shull and Wright, who had faith in me, taught me I couldn’t use my beloved Oxford comma in Associated Pressstyle writing and continue to encourage me.

Thanks also to my colleagues at Grand Junction Media and around the world for making me smile, teaching me new things, sharing your ideas with me, trying delicious foods together and helping me keep my optimism about humanity.

I am deeply grateful for you, my readers. None of this would be possible without your enthusiasm.

My heart is so happy that you love food and learning about other cultures. Your readership is critical and I appreciate your positivity and kind words. It truly means so much to me and to the newspaper.

Here’s to a wonderful past five years and many more in the future! Thanks for supporting our local newspaper and radio stations and celebrating all things food.

allagher

The first All Things Food column debuted in The Daily Sentinel’s Out & About section in June of 2021. The entertainment section in which All Things Food now appears is called Off The Clock.

CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel

During a solo trip earlier this year, I learned about food and history in Saudi Arabia with a vivacious guide.

CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel

It was a treat to introduce Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner, right, to Alisha Wenger, the executive director for the Community Food Bank. Warner has expertly captured a variety of issues about food insecurity, local challenges and the opening of the lovely 7th Street Community Cafe.

CHRISTINE GALLAGHER/Special to the Sentinel