Grace Choi, PhD, is an educator, food scholar, and classically trained chef with a passion for exploring the intersections of food, identity, and well-being. She earned her Grand Diplôme from the French Culinary Institute, worked as a line cook in acclaimed kitchens in New York and Umbria, Italy, and co-authored Vegeterranean: Italian Vegetarian Cooking with the chef and proprietor of the Country House Montali.
Driven to understand the deeper cultural meanings of food, Grace pursued a doctorate at New York University in Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health. There, she focused her research on food and ethnic identity, studying under renowned psychologist Carol Gilligan and training in Gilligan’s voice-centered, qualitative method known as The Listening Guide.
At NYU, Grace taught graduate and undergraduate courses in food studies and qualitative methods. She later developed interdisciplinary, cross-listed courses at The New School—such as Food and the Senses and Why We Eat: The Psychology of Food and Eating—which bridged food studies and psychology in innovative ways.
At the heart of Grace’s work is a commitment to understanding the complex, often emotional relationship people and cultures have with food. Her research and teaching have expanded over time to encompass health, well-being, and education, with a focus on making sensitive, nuanced topics approachable and accessible to broad audiences.
