When new bloggers join the Slashfood team, we like to make sure they get a proper introduction to our readers. You've met Eric Diesel, Mike Pomranz, and Annie Scott. Now meet the latest addition to our team, Gretchen Roberts.

Do you have a personal blog?
Yes, it's called Everyday Wine, though I don't post over there nearly as often now that I'm blogging at Slashfood.

What is your day job, or rather, what do you do when you're not food blogging?
I'm a freelance writer specializing in wine, food, home, and garden. I write a lot of wine stories from food and wine pairings and recipe development to "green" wine, the latest and greatest trend. I also write gardening stories and home features. Most of my work is published in magazines and online, and I do the occasional corporate job.

How long have you been blogging with Slashfood and what is your favorite post?
I started with Slashfood in September. My very first post was about amazon.com offering wine, and it got a lot of comments, so I was buoyed by the great Slashfood readers who care about shipping laws as much as I do.

Do you have any non-food-related, non-blogging hobbies?
Ummm. When I'm not parked at the computer or whipping something up in the kitchen, I really like to read English crime novels.

Not every foodie does, so we have to ask. Do you cook?
All the time. Recipe development is one of my writing specialties. Right now I'm making DIY energy drinks for a magazine, and last week I was doing holiday appetizers. When I'm not cooking for pay, I'm usually cooking for myself and my family. I have a veggie garden out back and herbs on my windowsill and sourdough starter in the fridge, so there's always something to make.

What is your most prized utensil/gadget in the kitchen?
I'd have to say my new wine opener, which is also the most-used utensil in the kitchen. I was going to say my mandolin slicer, but after an accident in which my thumbnail came half off, it's not high on my love list anymore.

List three things in your refrigerator right now.
I have some unusual stuff at the moment because of the recipes I'm testing: wheat germ, flax oil, and soy milk. Usually it's full of milk, wine, sparkling water, juice, eggs, and fresh fruits and veggies.

You have to impress a date with a meal. What are you going to make?
Am I dating again? I wonder what my husband will say. If I were going to cook for a new love interest, I'd probably make my signature pork loin, which is roasted with white wine, rosemary, garlic, cayenne, and other secret spices, plus a green salad with dried cranberries and blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette, and something decadent and chocolaty for dessert. I'd serve a bubbly sparkling Rose to start, a Syrah or Tempranillo with the meal, and Grand Marnier or Port with the chocolate.

What is the last thing you ate?
Last night I made sourdough pancakes with wheat flour. They were excellent, but I also opened a bottle of Syrah I'd just brought back from a wine trip. Not a good match, but good separately.

Confession time – what do you eat that will get you banned from Slashfood?
Candy is my weakness. My kids go to this store called Mast General Store, which has old-fashioned candy of every kind, and I can't keep myself out of their stash. Since I write about wine, I admit to ordering really cheap sparkling wine, like Cook's, at restaurants when I'm eating fish and chips and am craving a bubbly. It's kind of nasty, but it does the job.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Cheese, definitely. It's got everything: protein, a little fat. And washed down with wine, I've also got my fruit serving in.

Your Mom makes the best _____.
Lentil soup. It's simultaneously comforting and cleansing.

Which chef would you most like to have come into your kitchen and cook you dinner?
Alice Waters. She's done amazing things to get Americans to stop thinking "processed."

With whom would you most like to eat dinner?
Jancis Robinson, the great British wine writer, who would certainly bring her knowledge if not some great bottles to the table.

Your drink of choice?
Wine is a given, and I go on jags of loving a certain kind and being quasi-obsessed with it. At the moment, I'm on a Syrah kick. I love its density and the way it fills up your mouth.

Where was your best restaurant dining experience?
I just had the most. amazing. salad. ever. at Villa Creek in Paso Robles, CA. It was a very simple late summer tomato salad with uberfresh mozzarella, tiny snippets of basil, and day-old bread in an incredibly flavorful dressing. I'm fairly obsessed with tomatoes, and though I could probably make this salad at home, there was something about it that hit every flavor point from high to low. I also love the fish and chips at the Crown and Goose, a new gastropub in Knoxville run by a couple of Brits.

The worst?
Chuck E. Cheese, where I'm forced to eat rubbery pizza every time my five-year-old has a birthday party to attend.

Do you want fries with that?
No thanks, just give me a salad. Unless it's McDonald's, in which case the only thing I'll eat is fries.

What foods do you think should be banished from existence?
Store-bought cookies, which have the worst aftertaste. It's really not that hard to make cookies, people! Wine-wise, I would love to see restaurant house wines go far, far away.

What do you see as the biggest "thing" in food for the coming year?
As a food writer who follows the trends, I see people looking for ideas on how to make good food and spend less. Food prices are going up, the economy is tanking, but we don't want to give up our fresh produce and cage-free chickens; we just want to learn how to cook better and stretch the dollar further. In the drinks category, people are also looking for value. They might spend $20 on wine, but it better be good, not a wild card.