Amber Nimocks is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she fell in love first with shrimp and grits at Crook's Corner and then with journalism at The Daily Tar Heel. She holds a degree in religious studies. Her 15-year career in newspapers included stints at her hometown paper, The Fayetteville Observer, The Wilmington Star-News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and The News & Observer of Raleigh, where she was food editor until 2008. She writes a wine column, "Let It Pour," for The News & Observer and serves as associate editor of Edible Piedmont magazine. She is also a contributing producer for "The State of Things" a public radio talk show on WUNC-FM. Her work has appeared in "Our State" magazine, The Washington Post and other major newspapers. Her favorite place outside of North Carolina, is the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland. She lives with her husband Josh, her son Sam and her two dogs, Ava and Senora Wences, in downtown Raleigh.