New Year, New Role: Here’s What’s Next! 🚀

Local Palate culinary towns, Garden & Gun, Late Checkout.

🎉 Embracing New Beginnings in 2025: Streamlining Workflows, Securing Dream Bylines, and Launching Into a New Role!

Hello, 2025! It's all about fresh starts and seizing exciting opportunities. Recently, I embarked on a new 9-to-5 adventure as Senior Editor at Late Checkout. Just hours later, my first Garden & Gun pitch was accepted, setting the stage for more assignments in progress and plenty of exciting pitches ahead. 😉

Great news! You no longer have to send me an email to request pitching guidelines. Visit dariarosesmith.com and scroll to How to Pitch Me at the bottom for Late Checkout and freelance beat guidelines. I just updated both Late Checkout guidelines and freelance beat guidelines to ensure they're current and clear for 2025.

I'm considering pitches for 2025 culinary town features for The Local Palate. Last year, I wrote about Alpharetta and Florence, two hidden-gem towns with emerging food scenes. This year, I'm looking for towns that are off the beaten path, with populations under 400,000 and an up-and-coming culinary scene. Please note, we're steering clear of major cities. For the best fit, be sure to reference my updated pitch guidelines and check which states are included in the Southern coverage region.

Here's to a fantastic year ahead—I'm geared up and ready to hit the ground running (literally)! Happy New Year! 🚀