Chef/Author/Advocate,Passionate foodie,Unabashed omnivore,Authoritative winoChef Kurt Michael Friese is the founding leader of Slow Food Iowa, serves on the Slow Food USA National Board of Directors, and is editor-in-chief and co-owner of the local food magazine Edible Iowa River Valley. A graduate and former Chef-Instructor at the New England Culinary Institute, he has been Chef and owner, with his wife Kim McWane Friese, of the Iowa City restaurant Devotay for 15 years. Devotay is a community leader in sustainable cuisine and supporting local farmers and food artisans. Friese is a freelance food writer and photographer, with regular columns in 6 local, regional and national newspapers and magazines, and his 1st book, A Cook's Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland was published by Ice Cube Press in 2008. His next book, Hot Spots on the Chile Trail, written with Gary Nabhan and Kraig Kraft, was released in the spring of 2011 by Chelsea Green.He lives with his wife Kim, and his dog Bacchus, in rural Johnson County, Iowa