Laura Zolman

I am a detail-oriented, efficient, and creative writer and editor currently living in Lexington, Kentucky. I specialize in food and beverage edit but am highly skilled at organizing, crafting, and marketing all forms of business-to-business, community, and lifestyle edit.

Posts by Publication

QSR Magazine

Fine and Fast

Fine-dining menu innovation meets fast casual in the fine-casual segment.

Smooth Operator

Smoothie brands are diversifying their menus to make health foods approachable for new guests and regulars alike.

Taking It to Go

How growing demand for off-premises dining is shaping menu innovation in quick-service restaurants.

Snack Attack

As guests grow busier, demand for snack items on quick-service menus has increased. Here’s how brands are meeting demand.

Flexing for Fish

Riding on flexitarianism’s popularity, seafood has become popular for its health benefits and flavor adaptability.

Seasoned to Perfection

Global seasonings and spices continue to dominate quick-serve menus, especially in the Mediterranean category.

Salad Spinners

Salads on fast-casual menus are breaking out of their greens-only box.

Piece of the Pie

With a saturated build-your-own market, here’s how pizza brands are differentiating themselves from competitors.

Plants Gain Power

The plant-based protein space is ripe for innovation as brands choose a range of tactics to capture vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore diners.

One Charming Chick

Stacy Brown spiced up the quintessential chicken salad while honoring the women who inspired her along the way.

The New Scoop

Experiencing a return to indulgence, ice cream brands are innovating with dairy-free delights, hand-held vehicles, and Asian inspirations.

Dog Lovers Rejoice

As a hybrid fast casual, bar, and dog park, MUTTS Canine Cantina taps into customers’ daily routines.

Hurts Donuts

In less than six years, Hurts has found a home in the middle of America, but this fun, eclectic brand is poised for growth all over the U.S.

Fish Forward

Brown Bag Seafood Co. fills a hole in the market, but building an independent-feeling brand based on sustainable seafood has not been easy to scale.

A Boom for the Better

Consumers love burgers, especially better burgers. How do limited-service brands get them to order more?

Ones to Watch- Clean Juice

What started as an at-home trick to eat more veggies has boomed into a thriving franchise with a wide-ranging consumer base.

Crazy for Korean

Americans are loving the spicy, sour, and all-around craveable elements of Korean cuisine. Here’s how quick-serve restaurants are meeting this demand.

Order’s Up

The visionary behind the restaurant-geared digital juggernaut Olo shares his success story.

Functional and Fabulous

Fast casuals and quick serves are powering up menu items with ingredients that add health benefits on top of deliciousness.

The 40/40 List

The 40/40 Report is back with an all-new batch of fast casuals that are charging the market and making a name for themselves along the way.

Figuring Out Frozen

What do today’s customers want from smoothies, slushies, and blended coffees? Turns out, very different things.

Blend It Better

Smoothie King takes its purposeful products to the next level with cleaner, better-for-you ingredients.

Fresh Baked Success

Bread presents a host of challenges—especially for those who insist on baking fresh in each location.

Chicken’s Time to Shine

The Culinary Edge’s Aaron Noveshen used his industry know-how to build a successful brand in Starbird.

Baked-In Business Savvy

Family-run Kneaders is steeped in tradition, yet nimble amid ever-changing consumer preferences and menu trends.

Take Two

Michael Mohammed worked with the Chronic Tacos cofounder to buy the brand back, and now he’s charting a new course

Ones to Watch- By Chloe

Harnessing the power of social media, this burgeoning concept brings a pop vibe to vegan food.

A New Take on Native Foods

A member of the Osage Nation, Ben Jacobs partnered with friend Matt Chandra to promote oft-overlooked Native American cuisine.

Baja Bite

The founder of Rubio’s Coastal Grill shares the ups and downs in his quest to bring fish tacos to the masses.

Making Mediterranean Happen

Cava’s executive chef shares how he and his cofounders propelled the Greek cuisine they grew up with to be an on-trend sensation.

Catching the Cause

How two lifelong friends put a mission for sustainability to action through sandwiches—and a farm.

Ones to Watch- Even Stevens

Catering to socially conscious millennials, this rapidly growing fast casual donates one sandwich for every one sold.

Ones to Watch- Beefsteak

Employing chef-driven recipes and sustainable practices, this healthy concept hopes to continue ‘vegetating’ consumers.

Longing for Lobster

How one man’s craving for a childhood favorite not only led to an interesting seafood concept, but also blazed a new path in sustainable seafood sourcing.

I’d Like to Buy a Brand

Ashley Morris may not have founded Capriotti’s, but he built the framework that would take it to the next level.

Secret Sauce

Tacodeli relies on its strong company culture as it expands within the Texas market.

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Durham Magazine

Striking the Right Chord

Notasium founders Preston Clarke and Stephen Norman-Scott now bang pots, strum banjo and rush down slides—all aimed at teaching kids music appreciation

Settling In

The newly transplanted Morgan family puts down roots in Duke Forest.

Worth His Salt

Best Chef winner Ricky Moore opens a second location of his beloved Saltbox Seafood Joint – also named Best Seafood in our poll

Mike Lee Dreams of Sushi

Since opening just over a year ago, M Sushi has become a destination for lovers of traditional, simple sushi

Sweet Tooth

Dentist Jenny Citineni and husband Tom Thekkekandam combat cavities with sugar-free candy company

Blooming Where Planted

The Rostamis’ garden in south Durham is almost as impressive as the couple who constructed it

Swing Away

Baseball Rebellion returns to its Durham roots in August with a major training facility for athletes of all levels

Sofa, So Good

For these furniture entrepreneurs, the Bull City is the perfect hub

Tear Jerky

It’s true, we are smitten with Two Brothers Jerky.

New Chief in the Bull City

Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis talks about switching the DPD’s philosophy to ‘a guardian mentality from a warrior mentality’

Meet Your Makers

The founders of The Makers Mercantile are building an online community that supports Triangle- and North Carolina-based artists

More Than a Statement

Durhamite Rachel Widmark is the co-founder of Fernweh Jewelry, a line inspired by faraway lands and dedicated to giving back to women in developing countr...

Gone to the Dogs

Assistant Editor Laura Zolman Kirk and her pup, Winston, shop local at Other End of the Leash

Envested in Durham

Basing her tech company here wasn’t part of the plan, but Isa Watson fell in love with the Bull City’s vibrant entrepreneurial community

Class Act- Downloading Do-Gooders

We’re here and accepting computers, Larry Herst wants the Durham community to know. His company, Triangle Ecycling, originally began as a computer recycli...

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FSR Magazine

Flavors of Fall

How full-service restaurants are redefining autumn menus—and leveraging seasonal offerings in a profitable way.

Menu, Delivered

In response to takeout and delivery demands, full-service restaurants—from big brands to independents—are designing menus to answer the call.

Team Spirit Free

The industry may argue on what to call nonalcoholic cocktails, but everyone’s on the same team when it comes to the trend’s potential for longevity.

His Town

Hot, young chef Edouardo Jordan puts his stamp on Seattle cuisine.

The Alchemist

With her Chicago restaurant Mi Tocaya Antojeria, Diana Davila pays homage to Mexico’s history while pushing the cuisine and industry forward.

Rising Stars

Oriole’s Noah Sandoval (cover feature) and other 30-something incendiaries under 40 make up this year’s top industry talent.

Making HERstory

Next-level dishes take heart and hard work. Here are nine dishes with women behind them, and the stories that inspired them.

Think Big

Designing a platter for a crowd encourages diners to engage, lean in, and experience a meal together. But there is architecture and artistry behind these ...

Destination Dining

Killing it at the on-site food and beverage game, these are the hotel brands to look out for and learn from.

FSR 50 Profiles

This collection of 50 emerging chains with 50 or fewer locations offers plenty of insight into how a full-service restaurant concept can grow. We’ve got t...

A Time to be Proactive

A recent string of sexual-harassment cases proved the restaurant industry has work left to do in creating healthy work environments. Here’s how operators ...

Sip Superlatives

Join us in a toast to 10 restaurants with killer beverage programs, and learn what you can steal from each one.

Ready. Set. Compete

Everyone wants to win a competition, and the opportunity to unite chefs and spectators over craft and cooking can build a global community. Here’s how com...

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Chapel Hill Magazine

Sweet Treat

A family-run business since 1982, Yogurt Pump’s unique frozen treats continue to be a local favorite

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It

Folding together creative combos and even fusion flavors, we can’t get these tacos off our minds.

The Great Outdoors

Three families embrace Chapel Hill’s natural beauty with tranquil (and tricked-out) escapes

The Dish- Mama Dip’s

For a taste of childhood in the South, look no further than the banana pudding at Mama Dip’s.

Make Believe Modern

Lisa Bobst and Scott Evangelista had fun designing their functional Carrboro home

The Dish- 411 West Cafe

411 West has been a Franklin Street mainstay since 1990, and its prosciutto-wrapped grilled shrimp small plate has been around for nearly as long.

See Joan Run

Olympian, former UNC running coach, three-time NCAA All-American at UNC and pioneer for North Carolina women’s high school cross country … Joan Nesbit Mab...

Life Coach

Knowing that Tina Clossick is the co-founder of Kidzu Children’s Museum and mom of teenagers (Keegan, 13, and Madigan, 16), one would think it’d be hard f...

Treat Yourself

The Root Cellar’s Sera Cuni and wife Susan White prepare a laid-back comfort dish inspired by Sera’s Italian roots

Keeping It Simple

Andrea Reusing sticks to the basics with a one-pot dinner for Lantern’s family meal

Family Time

Jujube owner Charlie Deal, wife Crissy and 10-year-old Benji enjoy slow-paced meals centered around seasonal ingredients and time together

Backyard Barbecue

Brendan and Leslie Cox of Oakleaf and Alberello Cafe and Market throw a casual get-together for close friends

Fit for a Fete

Why one couple chose TOPO’s Great Room for their wedding reception

Barking Praises

Assistant editor Laura Zolman Kirk shares why she – and her dog, Winston – love their vet at VCA Timberlyne

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Vinfolio

Wine Back Rewards Facebook Ad

This ad ran as part of our Wine Back Rewards, which I reconceptualized from the “pay-it-forward campaign” run between Christmas and New Year’s.

Vinfolio 2019 Fall Release Guide

Fall is harvest season for producers, but it also release season across New- and Old-World wine regions. This year, California and Italy offer up their 20...

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Chatham Magazine

Pet Projects

Tagging – and wagging – along with their owners, these dogs and cats know how to put in a full day’s work

Fall Fashion

We shopped local boutiques for pieces to make your wardrobe pop this season

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CAKE&WHISKEY Magazine

The Native Leader

We found her by chance: a search for small-town female politicians. The more we researched, the more complex and diverse she became. “Surely this cannot b...

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Your Family Magazine

Hobby Town

No matter your kiddos’ interests, our community has you covered

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Navigating Schools

50 Years of Friends

Founded on Quaker values – respect for all and peaceful resolution, among others – the Carolina Friends School struck a chord with Triangle residents at ...

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TASTE Magazine

Shake It Up

Be your own bartender with these three cocktails made with local spirits

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