Location
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
School
Kent State University
Expertise
Ancestral food traditions, Garden-to-table cooking, Kid-friendly recipes
- Sam first developed an affinity for cooking and family food wisdom at five years old while shadowing her grandmother, who taught her to always keep a stocked pantry.
- In 2020, she purchased a share from her local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share program and received surprise fruit and vegetable deliveries for 13 weeks. She challenged herself to use all the ingredients, developing new recipes—some of which she still uses today.
- She homeschooled her son for a year of pre-kindergarten, incorporating age-appropriate garden chores, cooking (measuring), and foundational nutrition into his curriculum.
Experience
Sam began her career as a student journalist writing for the Daily Kent Stater in 2008. During her time working as a reporter for Sun News and cleveland.com, she covered restaurant openings and their cultural impact in the suburbs as well as how community gardens provide opportunities for generational food education. Most recently she's written for The Bucks County Beacon, covering women's issues with a focus on reproductive rights. She also self-published a children's book, "The Light Inside Your Heart," in 2021. She currently splits her time between freelance writing and mothering. She takes pride in being hands-on with her family's food—from planting spinach and broccoli in her backyard garden to trading crops and recipes with neighbors to preparing and serving meals with her son learning alongside her. She hopes to showcase this passion and inspire readers through her writing for Mashed.
Education
Sam earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Kent State University.
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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Shopping Tips
By Sam Schroeder
Many customers are reaching for this refrigerator brand thanks to its integrated feature allowing it to blend seamlessly with the rest of your kitchen.
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Stores And Chains
By Sam Schroeder
Since the start of the year, Southern grocery chain Publix has introduced all kinds of goodies to its bakery section, and customers have some clear favorites.
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Restaurants
By Sam Schroeder
When ordering prime rib at a restaurant, it helps to ask your server a few questions before you do, in order to determine the quality of the meat.
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Trader Joe's
By Sam Schroeder
Depending on who you ask, Trader Joe's frozen aisle might just be the store's crown jewel. Here's a handful of new frozen foods you can snag from T.J.'s.
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Chick-fil-A
By Sam Schroeder
Chick-fil-A customers put their dissatisfaction with the chain on blast by posting photos of menu items on social media, including its famous chicken sandwich.
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Sam’s Club
By Sam Schroeder
Sam's Club features a range of celebratory Fourth of July products to round out your summer festivities, including food, equipment, and decorations.
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Wine is often tipped sideways in a rack or cellar, but beer bottles should not be stored this way. Here’s what can happen to horizontally-stashed brews.
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Restaurants
By Sam Schroeder
Dozens of draft options might sound like a good thing, but that can lead to selection apprehension and other situations customers should reconsider.
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If you're headed to Russia or will be hanging out with some people from the world's largest country, we've got some handy tips on how to fit in.
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If you find the obligatory Target run a little monotonous, you may be pleasantly surprised by the fun grocery items the mega-chain has in store for June 2026.
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Shopping Tips
By Sam Schroeder
Nothing Bundt Cakes may be a super sweet place to grab a personal-sized treat, but oddly enough these cakes come without some type of cutlery.
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Fast Food
By Sam Schroeder
Fast-food chains have been revealing new or improved burgers and sandwiches, including updated toppings, new sizes, and more unique ingredient combinations.
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Sam’s Club
By Sam Schroeder
Bulk shopping can be difficult when you're unsure of the product you're buying. This is when samples can go a long way, and Sam's Club offers them every day.
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Entertainment
By Sam Schroeder
Joey Chestnut may be the champion of Coney Island, but he was less victorious in court. How will his criminal charge affect this year's hot dog eating contest?
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Restaurants
By Sam Schroeder
Many chain restaurants are offering extra incentives for those buying gift cards for Father's Day. We've rounded up the seven best offers we could find.
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A new bourbon variety has joined the ranks of Costco's already impressive liquor section. Discerning shoppers eager to size it up wait with bated breath.
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Beverages
By Sam Schroeder
When you need your drink to get cold quickly, there are a handful of ways to do this within 15 minutes. Chances are, you have the necessary tools already.
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Despite being friends with some millennials, overall, Martha Stewart's feeling on the generation 10 years ago wasn't great. Has it changed?
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Beer has a foothold in American drinking culture, but does that mean that a U.S. brand outsells the rest? Quantity-wise, this brew is a national sales leader.
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On a segment of "The View," Whoopi Goldberg expressed her distaste for lobster. It's not about the flavor — instead, a strange dining incident is to blame.
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Anthony Bourdain's legacy lives on through this TikToker, who's so convincing, he'll have you believing he's tapped into the late celeb's soul.
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Keystone Light beer was once offered with lime flavoring, as well as raspberry and lime flavoring. But what happened to these fruity light beers?
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The Rat Pack crafted a brand of mischievous cool that proved to be influential. To drink like Sinatra and friends, you'll need to get cozy with these beverages.
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Saying you can save money at Aldi is like sharing that water is wet. However, there's allegedly a way to buy baked goods at even lower prices than usual.
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Costco shoppers generally praise the chain's food offerings, but a key ingredient in the Canadian version of its blueberry bagels is giving some folks pause.
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We all know honey is the bee's knees, but if you're wondering what the difference is between raw and regular honey, we break it all down for you.
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McDonald's
By Sam Schroeder
The snack wrap returned to McDonald's in 2025, and there are plenty of ways to customize it. We spoke to an expert about how to boost its protein content.
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