The first group of residents includes Aran Goyoaga, Lidey Heuck, Vallery Lomas, Ben Mims, Nik Sharma, Maggie Zhu, and Jonathan Zaragoza—influential culinary leaders recognized for their unique approaches to cooking, storytelling, and engaging audiences worldwide. These talented creators will collaborate with ATK’s experts to develop exclusive recipes, produce multimedia content across ATK platforms, and make appearances on America’s Test Kitchen shows and recently launched ATK Classes, all while connecting with ATK’s enthusiastic community of home cooks.
Aran Goyoaga: Aran is an award-winning cookbook author, culinary educator, food stylist, and photographer based in Seattle. Aran specializes in gluten-free baking and cooking, elevating both to artistic heights. Her two most recent books—Cannelle et Vanille (2019) and Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple (2021)—are gorgeous and replete with grounded, satisfying recipes.
Lidey Heuck: Lidey has built a following that adores her emphasis on great ingredients and that sweet spot of practical-yet-inspiring recipes for eating well, everyday. Her first cookbook, Cooking in Real Life, published in March of 2024 to high praise and acclaim, and she shares recipes, stories, and videos on her Substack newsletter, LideyLetter.
Vallery Lomas: Vallery is the winner of The Great American Baking Show, a cookbook author, and a frequent guest of The Today Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, and more. Vallery is a Louisiana native living in New York City. Her cookbook Life Is What You Bake It (2021) was lauded by The Boston Globe and The Washington Post and her work has regularly appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Ben Mims: Ben is a venerated food writer, award-winning cookbook author, and editor. Ben studied at the French Culinary Institute and then worked meaty jobs at the industry’s best publications, including Saveur, Food & Wine, Lucky Peach, and the LA Times. His cookbooks include Coconut (2017), Sweet & Southern: Classic Desserts with a Twist (2018), Air Fry Every Day (2018), and his recently released Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World (2024). Ben is based in LA.
Nik Sharma: Nik is a best-selling and award-winning cookbook author, photographer, columnist, and former molecular biologist. He grew up in Bombay and now lives in LA. Nik’s beautifully photographed cookbooks include Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food (2018), The Flavor Equation (2020), and Veg-Table (2023). His blog and San Francisco Chronicle column have been consistently recognized by the IACP.
Maggie Zhu: Maggie is an award-winning blogger, culinary educator, and cookbook author. Maggie grew up in Beijing and now lives in New York City, where she runs her website Omnivore’s Cookbook, which she launched in 2013. It has grown into a go-to resource for anyone interested in making accessible, flavorful, and inspired Chinese recipes. Maggie’s cookbooks include The Chinese Stir Fry Sauce Cookbook and Chinese Homestyle (2022), the latter of which highlights traditional vegan Chinese recipes.
Jonathan Zaragoza: Jonathan is a respected chef and educator, and one of the most compelling voices in modern food culture. He built a rapidly growing digital audience of followers and subscribers across platforms, sharing recipes, technique, storytelling, and a deeper look at the Mexican traditions that shaped him. His work has been featured in Netflix’s Taco Chronicles, Food & Wine (where his barbacoa recipe appeared on the cover), Bon Appétit, and ChefSteps, and his family’s restaurant earned an on-screen nod in FX’s The Bear.