Julie Singer Chernoff has an extensive background in Journalism, Food and Theater. A graduate of Yale University and the California Culinary Academy, Julie has been the Dining Editor of Make It Better Media since 2008, and is also a freelance food and culture writer whose work has appeared in Plate Magazine, CS and NS Modern Luxury, Weight Watchers Magazine, Yale Alumni Magazine, LDEI Quarterly, and Thread.
Julie has managed restaurants for Wolfgang Puck and Rick Bayless, taught at Chicago’s Kendall Culinary College and Sur la Table, and owned and operated her own catering business, “Get Out of the Kitchen.” She is a longtime member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) and is a past president of the Chicago Chapter. She served on the LDEI Board of Directors for two years, and is currently Chair of their Legacy Awards committee. She is also a member of the Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), and a finalist in the 2018 IACP awards for her efforts in Food Photography and Food Styling.
Julie is the first VP of Northlight Theatre’s Executive Board of Directors, and has chaired their annual Gala four times. Locally, she held public office as the VP of the Evanston/Skokie Consolidated School District 65, and served as President of the Woman’s Club of Evanston and Evanston Dance Ensemble Boards. She served on the board of the Evanston Community Foundation for six years. In addition, she is a member of Beth Emet Synagogue, where she served on their Board of Directors after becoming B’nai mitzvah at the tender age of 39, almost 20 years ago! Julie has received numerous awards for her community service.
A native Detroiter, Julie has lived in Evanston, Illinois for the last 30 years with her husband Josh, a managing consultant with Parthenon/EY. She is the mother of two adult children, fully functioning adults who currently live in the Chicago area. Her hobbies include cooking, reading, walking by Lake Michigan, and Pilates. She is currently dog-less but hopes to remedy that in the near future.