Wevonneda Minis writes genealogy columns and lifestyle features. She has researched family history since 1993 in the United States, Republic of Guinea, England, Scotland and the Bahamas. Ms. Minis has completed the "Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis" course, Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, Birmingham, Ala., and the "American Genealogy" course, National Genealogical Society, Arlington, Va. She has lectured at the South Carolina Genealogical Society's Annual Workshop, is director of "Roots and Branches: An African American Genealogy Project" and teaches at the Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In addition, Ms. Minis is a member of the National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies and South Carolina Genealogical Society. She is a graduate of Regis College, Weston, Mass. and formerly reported on federal environmental policy in Washington, D.C.

Deidre Schipani has a 26-year career in culinary arts, teaching and writing. For the past 10 years, she has been manager of culinary services for Lunds and Byerly's, a chain of 23 upscale supermarkets in the upper Midwest. She directed the company's School of Culinary Arts, managed retail culinary services and oversaw publications, resource material and a Web site. Schipani was a restaurant critic and food writer for the 70,000-circulation Minnesota Monthly magazine from 1991-96. She wrote a food and wine column for Patuxent Publishing Co., a group of weekly newspapers in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area, from 1981-88. She was a recipe developer for "Prevention's Quick and Healthy Low Fat Cooking: Featuring All American Food" (Rodale Press, 1995) and was the editor, test kitchen manager and food writer for The Byerly Bag, a supermarket publication, from 1997 to 2006. From 1982-86, she owned and operated a full-service catering business in the Baltimore-Washington area. Schipani received a diploma, with honors, in classical French cooking from the L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Md., in 1982. She has a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Rosemont College in Pennsylvania and master's degree in education, magna cum laude, from Loyola College in Baltimore. She also took courses in restaurant management from Howard Community College in Maryland, attended the International Association of Culinary Professionals Master Class Program and has earned the highest level of certification, Certified Culinary Professional, from the IACP, demonstrating competency in food safety, nutrition, food science and world and U.S. cuisines.

Marion Sullivan is culinary programs specialist at the Culinary Institute of Charleston. She also writes about food and travel and consults on cookbook production.

Teresa Taylor is an assistant features editor for The Post and Courier who oversees the Food, Home & Garden and Petc. sections. Her first love and primary responsibility is the food beat, which she took over in 2003 after more than 20 years at the newspaper in other editing positions. She writes stories for Wednesday's Food section and a recipe exchange column for home cooks called "Now We're Cooking," which appears in Sunday editions. Taylor joined the company in 1983 as a copy editor for The News and Courier, having previously worked for Gannett's Westchester-Rockland newspaper group in White Plains, N.Y. She became weekend editor in 1987, news editor of The Evening Post in 1990, and executive business editor of The Post and Courier in 1991.

Stephanie Harvin’s roots are in South Carolina — Sumter and Manning — although she grew up as an Air Force brat while her father pursued his medical career. She majored in archaeology and anthropology at the University of South Carolina until she decided she didn’t want to be digging dirt with a trowel. She joined The Post and Courier in 1978 and worked as an award-winning photographer for 16 years, covering such diverse subjects as sports, Spoleto Festival USA and the president. She became a reporter in 1994 covering fashion, style, the arts and design. She won writing awards in South Carolina and was honored by the Association of Sunday and Features Editors for her column writing. She moved to editing, and spent six years working with reporters on legislative, education and regional issues. In 2008, she moved back to the Features Department as editor, and now specializes in her two loves: the arts and food. She is inspired by the creation of art, whether it is a chef with a new recipe or a budding artist just learning to play the violin. Email her at sharvin@postandcourier.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/sharvin101 or on Facebook at Stephanie Harvin, writer.