Dan Souza, Chief Content Officer at America’s Test Kitchen and Editor-in-Chief of Cook’s Illustrated, is a leading voice in evidence-based culinary journalism. With a career spanning 16 years at ATK, he has redefined food media by merging scientific rigor with accessible storytelling across magazines, TV, and digital platforms.
Successful pitches to Souza often:
For media inquiries, reference his PressContact profile or connect via ATK’s editorial team.
Dan Souza has carved a unique niche as a bridge between culinary artistry and scientific rigor. Starting as a test cook at America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) in 2008, Souza’s career trajectory reflects a relentless focus on demystifying the "why" behind cooking. His promotion to Chief Content Officer in 2024 marked a pivotal shift, positioning him as the creative force behind ATK’s cross-platform content strategy, including Cook’s Illustrated magazine, streaming shows, and digital media. Souza’s work is characterized by a blend of hands-on kitchen experimentation and accessible science communication, a duality that has redefined how home cooks engage with food.
This press release outlines Souza’s elevation to Chief Content Officer, highlighting his 16-year tenure at ATK and his role in revitalizing Cook’s Illustrated. Under his leadership, the magazine earned the American Society of Magazine Editors’ General Excellence award in 2023, a first for a culinary publication. The article emphasizes Souza’s multidisciplinary approach, merging editorial vision with digital innovation, such as launching the YouTube series What’s Eating Dan? to democratize food science.
In this profile, Souza reflects on his culinary education at The Culinary Institute of America and its influence on his methodology. The piece underscores his commitment to "problem-solving with food as the medium," detailing his transition from test cook to editor-in-chief. Notably, Souza credits CIA for instilling a respect for foundational techniques, which he later applied to ATK’s rigorous recipe-testing processes. His development of over 300 recipes for Cook’s Illustrated and contributions to bestsellers like The Science of Good Cooking are framed as extensions of this ethos.
Souza’s YouTube series exemplifies his ability to translate complex topics like emulsion chemistry or avocado ripening into engaging, digestible content. Episodes such as "5 Unexpected Ways to Use Salt" blend humor with practical takeaways, reflecting his belief that "understanding science breeds kitchen confidence." The series has garnered a loyal following, with viewers praising its balance of entertainment and education.
Souza prioritizes stories grounded in replicable research, such as his deep dive into the Maillard reaction’s role in searing meats. Pitches should emphasize novel techniques or understudied ingredients validated through testing. For example, his article on Why Adding Vodka to Pie Crust Works combined controlled experiments with historical context, making it a model for blending science and tradition.
With ATK’s expansion into podcasts, streaming, and social media, Souza seeks ideas that can span formats. A pitch about fermentation, for instance, could evolve into a magazine feature, a YouTube demo on kimchi, and a podcast episode on microbial science. His What’s Eating Dan? series often repurposes magazine content into video narratives, demonstrating his preference for modular storytelling.
While Souza occasionally references chefs like Escoffier to contextualize techniques, he avoids profiles of individual personalities. A rejected pitch on "The Rise of TikTok Chefs" illustrates this boundary; he instead covered How Social Media Alters Cooking Behaviors, focusing on empirical data over influencer culture.
Under Souza’s editorship, Cook’s Illustrated became the first food magazine to win this accolade in the service/lifestyle category. The award recognized its "uncompromising standards" in merging rigorous testing with approachable writing, solidifying its reputation as a culinary authority.
As co-author of Cook’s Science, Souza helped bridge the gap between academic research and home kitchens. The nomination highlighted the book’s impact on making food science accessible to non-scientists.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Food, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
