Francesca Duarte

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Location
Orlando, FL
School
University Of Central Florida
Expertise
Plant-based And Sustainable Cooking, Coffee And Beverage Development, Latinx And Hispanic Cuisine
  • When Francesca isn't freelancing for The Takeout, she's covering local food culture news with a focus on sustainability for Downtown Orlando's newspaper, The Community Paper.
  • She has gained thorough knowledge about coffee and beverages working as a barista at local coffee shops around her city, including a French cafe, a vegan coffee bar, and a Puerto Rican coffee truck.
  • With a passion for animal rights, she has practiced a plant-based lifestyle since she was 15 and is determined to try vegan restaurants in each state of the U.S. Her favorite vegan meals so far have been in Portland, OR and Miami, FL.

Experience

Francesca has always been passionate about writing and food, so combining the two into one role felt like the perfect intersection. She started off as a writer for her college newspaper while working as a server and barista. Having witnessed just how much waste is involved in the food service industry, she became an advocate for sustainability and has written features about the issue for Downtown Orlando's newspaper, The Community Paper. She began her freelancing career as an editorial fellow for YourTango, covering social justice issues, mental health, and pop culture. Having delved into various beats, she's excited to hone in on her passion for food culture and cuisine. Born into a Brazilian and Cuban family, she embraces her Hispanic and Latina roots with a plant-based approach and enjoys exploring the creative possibilities of plant-powered meals. She plans to one day open a vegan food truck featuring Hispanic and Asian fusion cuisine with her partner.

Education

Francesca has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Cinema Studies from the University of Central Florida.

Mashed Editorial Policies

Mashed’s industry-leading coverage is created by qualified and experienced writers, and is reviewed and fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure everything is accurate and timely. Outside experts are also consulted to help deliver factual, up-to-date information.

Our mission is to inform and engage our readers, telling them things they need to know, things they want to know, and things they didn't know they wanted to know about food. We strive to always provide a well-rounded reading experience, whether that’s the news of the day or a new original recipe you can try making at home. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive, current, and accurate content, our editorial team constantly reviews and updates articles as necessary. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Francesca Duarte