Oldways is well known globally for its leading role in developing the healthy traditional Mediterranean and Latin American dietary programs, and their descriptive dietary pyramids. Oldways also develops action programs that help consumers make wise choices , including the Whole Grains Council, Mediterranean Foods Alliance, and the Latino Nutrition Coalition.

Gifford graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, served in the U.S. Navy, was Legislative Assistant to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and a national campaign coordinator for Robert F. Kennedy. He served as national chair of the American Institute of Wine & Food, owned and managed a number of restaurants in Boston and Cambridge, and founded a food business (Kilvert & Forbes) with John F. Kerry, now a U.S. Senator. With his business partner at Oldways, Sara Baer-Sinnott, Gifford is co-author of The Oldways Table, described by one reviewer as a "comprehensible and extensive food reference packed with alluring recipes, helpful instructions, nutritional information and exceptionally amusing stories and essays about food and life."

Kara Berrini

Program Manager, Whole Grains Council

Kara can trace her appreciation for new food experiences back to her childhood where her first memories of hot salsa, octopus sushi, and homemade chocolate mousse all occurred well before her eleventh birthday. This "try anything once" approach to eating can be seen in her career path. Before joining Oldways, she spent two years working for a guitar company and more than five years with an energy marketing and trading company, both located in Boston. She has also traveled extensively, having visited nearly all 50 U.S. states and six foreign countries to date. Most recently, she and her family spent a two-week trip eating their way across Northern and Central Italy, culminating in a visit to Torino for the 2006 Slow Food Festival. Kara received her BFA in Writing and Literature from Emerson College in Boston and is delighted to be a part of the Oldways Family.

Executive and Program Assistant

Erika has spent the last four years working as an event planner at Harvard University where she has organized everything from 10 person breakfast breaks to massive 6000 person events. Erika hails from Wisconsin where the cow is king, and cheese is consumed in every conceivable form. After growing up on three square meals a day, she moved to Boulder to obtain a BS in Journalism from the University of Colorado. Her eyes were opened to radically new sources of nutrition and sustenance, and health and fitness became an essential aspect of life. Erika caught the travel bug and hiked, biked and trekked extensively through Central and South America while sampling and exploring various cuisines along the way. Her career, not surprisingly, has revolved around food as well. Whether is it providing PR for restaurants, running multifaceted events, or catering to the masses, food has been a prominent feature. Erika is ready to return to the simple pleasures of nutrition and health, and is thrilled by the opportunity to work at Oldways.

Alison Clancy

Social Media Manager

Alison Clancy is a recent Northeastern University graduate and holds a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in Graphic Design. Before joining the Oldways team, she worked for almost three years as a Marketing and Events Assistant at Snell Library on Northeastern's campus. In 2008, she spent four months living on the Gold Coast of Australia, and thinks of the land down under as her second home. She then jetted off to the Amalfi Coast for a month to learn the language and experience the culture, and proceeded to eat her way through Italy. Growing up in a colorful Italian family, Alison has unknowingly followed the Mediterranean Diet all her life, and enjoys spreading the word through both traditional and new media. If she only had one last meal to eat, it would be her mother's fettucine alfredo.

Adriene Worthington, RD, LDN

Program Dietitian

Adriene began her relationship with food when she prepared her first scrambled eggs and toast at the age of three. Ever since that fateful morning, food has played a major role in her personal and professional life. Growing up in Arizona, she was surrounded by a colorful array of flavors and her family ensured that none went untested. Vacations were centered on scouting local cuisines--a tradition she still keeps to this day. After culinary school, she welcomed varied opportunities in the food service industry and held many positions including Baker, Chef, Caterer and Dining Service Director. An interest in food science led her to the field of nutrition. She worked as a tech in the Metabolic Research Unit at the USDA's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University while obtaining her B.S. from Simmons College. Before joining Oldways, Adriene was a Clinical Dietitian in a rehabilitation hospital where she was responsible for the nutrition status and education of an urban patient population. Although challenging, the clinical aspect of Dietetics never appealed to her as much as the food component does and she is delighted to be able to share her knowledge as a member of the Oldways team.

Sadie Baer-Sinnott

The Oldways Dog

Like Carla and Mika before her, Sadie is a rescued Rottweiler, thanks to For the Love of Dog. She came to New England from South Carolina, rescued after being tied to a tree for many years producing litter after litter of puppies. She's enjoying her new life, stepping out in the Back Bay--smelling the flowers and meeting all the dogs that walk up and down the Commonwealth Avenue mall, looking out at the Charles River and the Esplanade, and assuming her new job as The Oldways Dog! We're not sure if she prefers the Mediterranean or the Latin American Diet, but soon enough she'll have a chance to decide on her favorite Oldways leftovers!