<p>Amber Selene Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. She is a regular contributor to The Mercury News, Edible Magazines, 7x7 and Diablo Magazine and columnist for North Bay Bohemian and Pacific Sun Weekly. She is also field coordinator for the Slow Wine Guide USA as well as Story Editor for Edible Silicon Valley, with work appearing in Bon Appétit, BBC Travel, Thrillist, Men's Journal, Civil Eats and many other publications over the last twenty years. The regionality of food and drink and the sensory power they hold is what drives her to seek out the stories she writes. She's also perpetually on the hunt for the best cookie.</p>