Matt DiSanto
Matt DiSanto focuses on service-driven local reporting that helps readers navigate where to eat, how businesses are changing, and what is happening in their community. He uses food coverage, business roundups and explanatory pieces on local decisions to give residents practical, timely information rather than abstract policy or feature writing.
Food safety and restaurant coverage
Food-related oversight is a recurring thread in his work. He regularly reports on restaurant health inspections, spelling out which Centre County establishments failed recent checks and why, with details on violations such as uncovered food, dust buildup, cockroach sightings and risky food temperatures. These stories pair inspection findings with clear instructions on how owners can respond and how consumers can raise concerns with regulators, underscoring his emphasis on actionable information. He also covers individual food businesses as they open, close or change hands, including a Penns Valley ice cream shop planning to bring “sizzle” under new family ownership, treating food stories as business and community news rather than lifestyle features.
Business openings, closures and ownership changes
DiSanto plays a central role in tracking local business churn. He contributes to monthly and periodic roundups of new openings, closures and ownership changes across Centre County, noting acquisitions, rebrandings and retirements and how they reshape the local commercial landscape. These pieces often cover food and drink outlets alongside retail and other services, showing how restaurants fit into broader business trends rather than standing apart. His business coverage is concise and list-based, designed to let readers quickly see what has changed and where, reflecting a service journalism approach.
Local government and school district decisions
Beyond food and business, he reports on local governance, especially school district finances and transparency. He has covered State College’s school district budget, explaining proposed real estate tax increases, how they relate to statutory limits, and the expected timeline for votes and public hearings. He also reports on board-level debates, such as Penns Valley’s rejection of a plan to record school board meetings, detailing costs, voting breakdowns and community concerns about misuse. In these pieces, he breaks down technical decisions into clear bullet points and timelines, keeping the focus on what residents need to understand and when changes will take effect.
Service journalism across the McClatchy network
DiSanto works as a service journalist with the Centre Daily Times, and his explainer-style reporting is picked up across McClatchy mastheads. His profile for another McClatchy paper mirrors his Centre Daily Times biography, reinforcing his identity as a reporter whose work is shared within the wider network. Syndicated stories include pieces that quantify local conditions for readers, such as an article identifying the Illinois county with the worst weather based on storms, floods and hail. Taken together, his body of work shows a consistent pattern: he translates data, inspections, budgets and reports into straightforward stories that tell residents what is happening and how it affects daily life, with food businesses and restaurant safety as a prominent thread within that broader service mission.
Before joining the Centre Daily Times, DiSanto served as managing editor of a student-run outlet and worked as a general assignment reporter, experience that informs his ability to move between food coverage, business news and local government while maintaining a practical, reader-first focus.
4 more food journalists.
Aaron Guerrero
Aaron Guerrero is head of the digital department at Miami’s Community Newspapers, where he pairs restaurant coverage with community-facing content. He focuses on how Miami-area restaurants evolve, celebrate, and experiment through new concepts, menus, and neighborhood-focused dining experiences. He reports on restaurant openings, such as an Italian food hall at Plaza Coral Gables, new executive lunch menus, and wood-fired Latin steakhouse brunches, explaining what sets each venue apart. He also covers awards, like a Wine Spectator honor for an Italian chophouse, and events that turn dining rooms into social hubs. His bylines extend to features on sports-themed gatherings, civic renamings, local visits to restaurant programs, sponsored community pieces, and official notices. His work is straightforward and descriptive, helping readers and local businesses connect around specific openings, promotions, and dining experiences.
Alice Mannette
Alice Mannette blends service journalism with narrative reporting about everyday life, using local food and gathering places to tell broader stories about community. She writes for the St. Cloud Times, focusing on practical guides to ice cream shops, wineries and other neighborhood businesses. Her coverage turns questions like where to eat and what to do this weekend into portraits of local entrepreneurs, weekend plans and the social life of her area. She reports food and drink as usable guides while tracing local history, culture and public safety. She also covers how people record their lives, writing features on diaries, family history and new books that examine archives and memory. Alongside this, she reports civic and public safety news and produces USA TODAY Network service pieces that compile clear, concrete resources for people dealing with storms and other emergencies.
Amanda Mactas
Amanda Mactas links food news, pop culture, and practical consumer advice, showing how brands, products, and personalities appear in everyday eating. She is an associate editor at Delish, reporting news and feature stories that span celebrity-driven launches, competitive eating, value-focused roundups, and taste tests. Her beat covers food culture, event-driven food deals, brand campaigns, product testing, grocery finds, and shopping guides, all with a clear service angle. She reports through specific products, personalities, and major sports days or holidays, using them to explain broader trends, marketing tactics, and consumer value. Beyond Delish, she works as a freelance writer and editor across food, travel, health, and lifestyle outlets, profiling founders, public markets, restaurant culture, wellness, and travel, and tying everyday eating to place, wellness, and routine in accessible, utility-focused prose.
Amelia Jones
Amelia Jones is a Fox 4 News reporter who makes major moments in Texas life feel close by centering ordinary people, often through food, fandom and everyday routines. She now reports across web, on-air and social video, keeping the camera and narrative on fans’ faces, crowd noise and local venues as she covers World Cup visitors trying Tex-Mex, FIFA fan festivals and standout supporters whose energy defines the stadium mood. She explains state legislative debates on issues like abortion pills in clear, practical terms, breaking down complex bills and legal analysis into real-world consequences. She reports on trials, crime, explosions and traumatic incidents through witnesses, victims and families, and spends time with small business owners and neighborhood groups in East Dallas. She joined Fox 4 News in 2023 and links daily life to the larger forces that shape Texas.