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Emma Laperruque '14
Emma Laperruque '14

Emma Laperruque ’14 is working the “internship of her dreams,” at The Daily Meal, a website catering to food enthusiasts.  With the tagline “All Things Food and Drink,” The Daily Meal mirrors her many culinary passions.  This summer, Laperruque will develop her journalistic skills while writing and publishing stories and recipes online.

The Daily Meal contains multiple channels that readers browse, including “cook, eat/dine, drink, travel and entertain.” She was assigned to the “cook,” category and has learned about interesting food topics from across the nation.

Her main duty in the morning is to compose brief articles for the web page.  The pieces include topics like agricultural budget reform, cocoa powder’s health benefits and the dangers that high fructose corn syrup presents.  She completes additional tasks in the afternoon, such as searching for recipes or cooking tips, depending on what the editors need. A towering bookshelf lines the walls of the office.  It’s a “floor-to-ceiling collection of recipes,” and Laperruque is constantly searching through the endless cookbook supply.

Laperruque received internship funding through Hamilton’s Career Center.  Before applying for the internship, she utilized the Career Center’s services and had a peer review session for her cover letter and resume. 

With previous blogging experience, Laperruque is familiar with the online food community. Her personal site, dourmet, has recorded her food creations for years.  She “definitely wants to go into food publishing, but that can mean all types of things,” including working on cookbooks magazines, and websites.   Laperruque is “most interested in blogs,” and believes they are the most accessible media. 

The Daily Meal’s mission statement, “to maintain the most culinary content on the web,” captured Laperruque’s attention.  She is “constantly impressed by the industry leaders in the office,” and appreciates the “comfortable corporate environment.” 

Laperruque said that, “students often end up at internships that are related to their interests, but this one is beyond perfect.”  An aspect of the position that she has finds especially enriching is the weekly meeting on Wednesdays when the company brainstorms article ideas.  The discussions have introduced her to new topics, with issues surrounding food politics leaving the biggest impression.

Laperruque “found a second classroom in the kitchen” when she developed an interest in food photography, and has wanted to pursue this passion ever since.  This experience is preparing her for both a career in food publishing and her senior fellowship at Hamilton.  In her project, she will conduct “sociological research on millennials’ attitude toward cooking,” which will combine interviews and recipes into a narrative cookbook.

Laperruque is a graduate of Millburn High School (N.J.).

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