Nazli Parvizi's work and passion often resides at the intersection of government, food & hospitality, and the arts. As President of MOFAD, Nazli joins an a team of incredibly dedicated culinary historians, chefs, writers, food and museum professionals joined together under the mission of using food as a lens to explore and learn more about the world we live in.

Nazli Parvizi started working a small tea shop in central Massachusetts when she was 14 years old. Through 8 years of weekends, summers and college breaks working with amazing women, she received an education on cooking, hospitality and human behavior that ignited a life-long passion for for all aspects of the culinary arts. She graduated with a degree in Food Anthropology and a minor in Biology from Barnard College, Columbia University, co-founding a catering company, Night Kitchen Brooklyn, shortly after graduation.

Following the events of 9/11, Nazli pivoted from food towards public service. She joined the administration of former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the youngest agency head in NYC history, heading up the City's Volunteer Center (now NYC Service) before becoming Commissioner of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit (CAU). After leaving government, Nazli consulted across various sectors, including Hurricane Sandy recovery work, the nonprofit food sector and California water infrastructure, focusing on government and public affairs, nonprofit governance, and community outreach and engagement.

A proud immigrant, Nazli and her family escaped from Iran in 1981 following the Iranian revolution, eventually settling in Massachusetts. Her last meal would include nachos, Caesar salad, French onion soup and her mama's sour cherry rice; Tums for dessert. She is the mother of a delicious 7-year old boy who obviously hates food and would prefer to never eat.

Catherine is a food historian and writer, whose work focuses on the intersection of food, culture, memory, and place. She brings this multidisciplinary approach to the Museum of Food and Drink. As curatorial director, she oversees the creation of MOFAD’s exhibitions and educational programming, and guides the operations team. Catherine was instrumental in the research, writing, and development of past major exhibitions, Flavor: Making It and Faking It and Chow: Making the Chinese American Restaurant, as well as gallery shows Feasts and Festivals, Knights of the Raj, and Highlights from the Collection. She acted as MOFAD’s president from March through December 2020.

Previously, Catherine worked as a researcher at the Chicago Historical Society and the Heinz History Center, and has written for a number of major publications. She holds a Master’s degree in Food Studies from Chatham University and a Bachelor’s with honors in Social and Cultural History from Carnegie Mellon University.

Sari is thrilled to be curating conversations around food as the Public Programs Director at MOFAD. Previously, she was the Senior Publicity Manager of Culinary and Lifestyle at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and a food writer with a strong interest in the foodways of other cultures. Her writing has appeared in Saveur, Food52, Tasting Table, Afar, Extra Crispy, and Food & Wine among others. Sari was a researcher and writer for the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015, the first World’s Fair with the theme of food and sustainability. She is also the creator and host of Food Without Borders on Heritage Radio Network, a show that explores the intersection of food, politics, and identity. She holds a Masters Degree in Food Studies from New York University.

Irina Groushevaia is a non-binary writer and self-taught chef and baker from Moscow, Russia residing in New York City since 2012. Irina focuses their work on the intersections of food, wellness, and LGBTQ+, discovering how our identities and culture interact. You can find Irina's work in Bon Appetit, Food52, The Greatist, GRLSQUASH, Eaten, Edible Queens, and other publications. Previously, Irina was the Managing Editor of Brooklyn's largest news outlet, Bklyner, and has lead Social Media campaigns for various food businesses and news outlets. Irina was the LGBTQ+ panel moderator for the 2019 Bushwick Film Festival and an invited speaker in 2020 for Project Silk Pride, an LGBTQ+ non-profit, discussing the intersections of identity, food, and writing. When they have time, Irina hosts a Russian pop-up, slinging baked goods and Soviet staples from their youth. You can find them on all social channels @groushevaia.

Myriah Towner is a storyteller and digital curator, and joins MOFAD as a Curatorial Associate for our upcoming exhibition African/American: Making the Nation's Table. Her editorial work has been published in The Daily Telegraph, The Newcastle Chronicle & Journal, Street Fight and The Content Strategist. Myriah's curatorial work has focused on producing digital platforms and exhibitions highlighting and commemorating African American history for institutions such as The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Social Science Research Council, including the Emmett Till Project. Myriah is also the creator of Black Farmer Stories, a digital platform that preserves the history, legacy and agricultural knowledge of Black farmers in the U.S. through storytelling.

Loren has been leading and learning with NYC museum audiences of all ages for over two decades. The subjects vary but the thrill of discovering new things about the world never fades. Since joining the Museum Food and Drink in January of 2017, she’s been creating lesson plans and teaching lots and lots of really smart kids whose curiosity and enthusiasm keeps her feeling young at heart. She looks forward to another year of food, fun, and friends at MOFAD.