Deborah LaMonica  

Deborah enjoys the unique and diverse. Instead of traditional vanilla cutout cookies, she makes famous lemon-flavored ones. Instead of a common pet dog, she and her husband have a pot-bellied pig, two chickens, a cat and two tortoises (from a tortoise rescue agency). Instead of relaxing by a pool in Florida or Los Vegas, she tracked elephants on a photo safari in Zimbabwe. And instead of learning tennis or golf, she took helicopter flying lessons.

“Who knows what my next project will be,” she remarks.

It’s no wonder, then, that this entrepreneur and businesswoman would love to be a travel and food journalist. “Creating and experiencing new foods and food combinations are some of my true joys in life,” Deborah says. “Getting paid to explore and eat your way around the world would be a magnificent lifestyle.”

Deborah was a member of the August/September 2008 Member Taste Panel, where members test recipes from the magazine and give their feedback. To become a tester, click here.