Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
School
Southern New Hampshire University, University of Missouri
Expertise
Food culture and trends, Restaurant reviews, Food history
- Isabella covered Jason Momoa's Meili Vodka Revolution Tour for a local newspaper when it stopped in Wisconsin, gaining special access to watch the "Aquaman" and "Game of Thrones" celeb sign thousands of bottles of alcohol to distribute to fans.
- Inside her phone's notes app, she has an elaborate list ranking more than two dozen independent southeastern Wisconsin coffee shops on criteria such as vibes, Wi-Fi speed, and alternative milk selection — a personal project she's been working on since 2021.
- A proud Wisconsinite, one of Isabella's favorite activities is introducing out-of-towners to the Badger State's numerous culinary traditions like supper clubs, Friday fish fries, and Sunday morning hot ham and rolls.
Experience
Throughout her elementary school career, Isabella regularly faked illness as an excuse to stay home and watch "Barefoot Contessa" on the Food Network. Now, Isabella spends her free time developing her own recipes and is happy to share the secret to mind-blowing banana bread (maple syrup), crazy good coffee cake (ground cardamom), and scrumptious chocolate chip cookies (shredded coconut). Her love of food and passion for writing first intersected in 2022, when Isabella became a member of Yelp Elite, thanks to her meticulously detailed restaurant reviews. The following year, she got her start in journalism, writing for a daily local newspaper in a Milwaukee suburb and winning three awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association for her community reporting. Though she covered everything from municipal government to national politics during her tenure, Isabella's journalistic appetite is for all things gastronomy, and her favorite assignments were previewing forthcoming restaurants, interviewing industry experts, and reflecting on eateries that have become local institutions. As a freelance writer, Isabella's bylines have appeared in publications such as Mashed and Chowhound. When she's not cooking, baking, or writing, Isabella can be found perusing indie bookstores for the next cookbook to add to her ever-growing collection.
Education
Isabella has a master's degree in creative writing and a graduate certificate in professional writing from Southern New Hampshire University. She also has a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies with emphasis in journalism, English, and Spanish from the University of Missouri.
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.
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Costco
By Isabella Kostolni
Every shopper wants something unique from their Costco experience, and the warehouses' vibes and offerings can vary by region, geography, and even neighborhood.
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