Molly Yun, Neighbor

Molly Yun graduated with an English degree in May 2005 from the University of Missouri. That spring, she moved to Rehoboth Beach, Del. to work as a reporter for a community newspaper, "The Cape Gazette." She was ready to feel sand between her toes, experience a different part of the country, and to get a taste of journalism. After two years as a beat reporter, where she founded her commitment to telling a community's story, Yun resigned from her position to pursue her passion for cooking and food. She took a job as a prep cook, the lowest rung on the ladder in a professional kitchen, to learn more about the industry. While working in the kitchen of a classic French bistro, chefs taught Yun to make "mother sauces," the proper way to shell a lobster, the difference between a demi-glace and a stock, and so much more. She was promoted to line cook, where she spent exhaustive nights tossing greens in vinaigrette and garnishing trifles with berry glacé. It didn't take long before Yun realized she'd rather marry her two passions — writing and cooking — than toiling on in a professional kitchen, so she moved to Philadelphia to write about food for various magazines, websites and newspapers.