April Dodd

Experience

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  Middlebury College Dining Services

  Oct 2009 - May 2013

  Back of House Staff

  During my time at Middlebury College, I worked a range of food and hospitality jobs, including: - The "Granola Gang," making hundred of pounds of granola per week - Middlebury's Language Tables, where I provided table service in French and Spanish- College catering, including events for students, donors, alumni and, once, His Holiness the Dalai Lama

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  Middlebury College

  Aug 2010 - May 2013

  Dolci Student Restaurant Manager

  Dolci is an entirely student-run, semi-weekly pop-up restaurant that gives aspiring student chefs the opportunity to design and serve a meal to 80 diners using a professional kitchen and beautiful restaurant space. In my role as the manager of Dolci, I:-- Increased the number of yearly events by 20% by partnering with community organizations and finding alternative venues-- Selected and trained teams of novice to experienced chefs in a fast-paced, demanding kitchen environment-- Hired teams for front-of house and trained them on serving-- Consulted with head chefs on menus, assisted in the design of printed materials, and maintained the restaurant's blog and social media presence-- Worked as a sous chef and head chef Show less

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  Weybridge House

  May 2013 - Sept 2013

  Food Preservation Manager

  The Foodworks Fellowship is a program that connects college students and recent grads with opportunities to work in food production and preservation while also studying fundamentals of farming, distribution, retail, preparation, and waste in the food system together. As Middlebury College's Food Preservation Manager, I:-- Maintained a sanitary and safe kitchen for all food preservation activities-- Demonstrated detailed knowledge of the essentials of safe canning, fermenting, dehydration, jamming, pickling, freezing, and storing -- Managed the annual budget-- Compiled a Vermont-specific Summer Food Preservation Guide, including sourcing and pricing information and over 30 recipes Show less

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  Lycée Honoré d'Urfé

  Oct 2013 - May 2014

  English Language Teacher

  The Teaching Assistant Program in France is a selective one-year program of the French government that places native English speakers as English teachers in French public schools. I:-- Worked with a team of 14 English faculty to prepare oral-focused exercises for students ranging in age from 16-27. -- Offered one-on-one classes tailored specifically to the student's needs with an emphasis on conversational ability and listening comprehension.

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  The Open Table Cooking School

  Sept 2014 - Nov 2016

  Instructor & Founder

  The Open Table Cooking School is a culinary school that focuses on offering professional development to Nairobi's housekeepers, in-home chefs, and aspiring restaurateurs. As its founder and head instructor, I:--designed the curriculum for cooking training series designed to build essential skills--planned recipes, sourced local ingredients, and created menus for classes and catered events ranging from 2-80 people. --taught daily 3-hour classes that covered new recipes along with fundamental kitchen techniques--created and managed the school's marketing materials and promotions--partnered with local organizations to offer certifications in early childhood nutrition--offered classes in startup business management, equipping students to start multiple culinary businesses (Nancy's Granola, Susan + Salome Catering)--was the co-writer of Im/migrant Nairobi, a cookbook that explores the impact of Nairobi's immigrant-owned restaurants--developed and marketed new recipes and products, such as a line of locally-sourced cashew nut butters and holiday baking kitsOpen Table continues to offer cooking classes to this day. Two former students became its directors and head instructors in 2017. Show less

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  WORLD FARMERS INC

  Mar 2017 - Aug 2017

  Wholesale Account Manager

  World Farmers is a small non-profit that provides refugee and immigrant farmers with access to the land, trainings, and resources necessary to create independent farming businesses. As a wholesale account manager, I: -- Worked with farmers and buyers to increase gross sales and improve the efficiency of our farm-to-consumer chain-- Collaboratively wrote grants-- Implemented and trained staff on internal data management systems-- Planned layout and rollout of a food processing kitchen designed around the needs of WF's farmers, including sourcing and purchasing of a maize stripper and stone grinder-- Planned and executed the 2017 CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) -- Trained summer farm interns Show less

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  Congressional Hunger Center

  Sept 2017 - Aug 2019

  2017-2019 Mickey Leland Fellow
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  Emerging ag inc.

  Sept 2017 - Aug 2019

  Regional Coordinator of Partnerships

  In 2017, I began a Mickey Leland Congressional Hunger Fellowship, a two-year program administered by The Hunger Center (www.hungercenter.org) that connects professionals working in food security and nutrition with highly impactful companies. I was partnered with Emerging Ag, a boutique consulting firm, where I: -- Worked to increase farmer, SME, and youth engagement with the Private Sector Mechanism (PSM) at the UN's Council on Food Security (CFS) and equip first-time attendees of UN policymaking procedures to thoughtfully participate in the process-- Facilitated participation of major food companies and associations in policy processes at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF), and other policy environments-- Managed social media campaigns for multiple clients, including identifying and coordinating work with key influencers-- Promoted client products, such as oats, to new audiences via development and translation (English to Spanish) of original recipes Show less

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  Christopher Kimball's Milk Street

  Apr 2019 - now

  • Associate Director of Education

    Jan 2024 - now

  • Assistant Director Of Education

    Jan 2022 - Jan 2024

  • Cooking School Manager

    Apr 2019 - Jan 2022