Brook Harlan, a culinary arts instructor at the Columbia Area Career Center, has served as the magazine’s food editor for the past 16 years. The native Columbian is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he earned associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. A Columbia Public Schools teacher for the past 21 years, he has coached a number of state and national champions in the annual Skills USA competition. Brook also appeared in the first season of “The Next Food Network Star,” where he was one of eight finalists. When he’s not teaching students culinary skills, you can find him growing food in his own garden or perusing the Columbia Farmers Market. He does quite a bit of “research” for his class and magazine by often eating at one of Columbia’s many great restaurants. He and his wife also love traveling, camping and corralling their two kids.