Christa Glennie Seychew

Christa Glennie Seychew is dedicated to enhancing and highlighting Western New York’s food scene.

Since the fall of 2010 she has worked as the Food Editor for Buffalo Spree, Western New York’s premier magazine. Prior to that she was the food editor for BuffaloRising.com, Buffalo’s top community news and information website. Since early 2009 she has owned Feed Your Soul. This unique production company is dedicated to developing and executing both private and public events which focus primarily on Western New York’s agricultural bounty and the region’s unique and varied dining scene. Feed Your Soul was founded on the firm belief that agritourism and culinary tourism are a fundamental component to Buffalo’s renaissance, and that WNY’s terroir, ethnic foodways, and talented chefs and farmers are the key to its future.  Farm tours, special dinners held in unique locations,  foodie day trips, and various cooking competitions fill Feed Your Soul’s annual roster.

Nickel City Chef is Feed Your Soul’s most sensational venture, a live cooking competition featuring top Western New York chefs, a panel of judges, a live audience and a secret ingredient which comes from the WNY region. This sold out series garnered critical acclaim has recently wrapped up its third season.

Glennie Seychew has recently completed a book, Nickel City Chef: Buffalo’s Finest Chefs and Ingredients, which features recipes and farm profiles from all Nickel City Chef’s first three seasons.

Over the last year or two, Glennie Seychew has also:

-Spoken to dozens of audiences on a variety of subjects involving local food, fine dining, tourism, restaurants and WNY’s ethnic foodways and agrarian history

-Developed and operated the programming at the Culinary Stage for The Taste of Buffalo,  the country’s largest 2-day food festival

-Given advice and effort to more than half a dozen charity events and fundraisers that featured food and chefs at their core

-Acted as a consultant to dozens of first-time restaurant owners, farmers, and artisan foodmakers

-Been a finalist for the 2010 Buffalonians Making a Difference award

-Connected chefs and farmers with one another in a way that has been both meaningful and had long term impact on Buffalo’s local dining scene

-Assisted the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitor’s Bureau in the initial stages of development for its new Green & Mean It Hospitality Program

-Developed content for the culinary portion of the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitor’s Bureau’s website

-Since 2009 offered insight and expert opinion to a Buffalo-based artisan food project, Horsefeathers Community Market.

-Worked closely with out-of-state expert to develop a list of possible vendors for a new artisan market at Canalside in the city of Buffalo

-Acted as a judge at a dozen food competitions

-Provided counsel, advice, or assistance to countless television producers, journalists, politicians, periodicals and newspapers, chefs, business owners, “amateur” food critics, and would-be food adventurists

-Co-founded a non-profit (an organization she no longer volunteers her time with)

-Continues to make connections in the national culinary world in order to increase acceptance and appreciation for WNY’s agricultural and dining scene

-Operated several tours of Buffalo growing urban agriculture movement, including a tour for the National Trust for Historic Preservation