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Randi Donahue

WRITER & EDITOR

About me

I'm a lifestyle journalist focusing on food & bev, health & wellness, and sustainability topics. I also enjoy promoting Earth-conscience, adventure-forward, and philanthropic brands. 

Curious by nature, I love researching new topics and translating what I glean into educational, actionable, organic content. 

I strive to remain authentic, be kind, spend LOTS of time outside, and seek balance in all I do.

SERVICES

Copywriting

Feature Writing

Commerce Writing

Press Releases

Web Content Development 

Editing

Proofreading 

& More

My Work

The Good Trade •

What Are PFAS And Do We Need To Worry About Them?

Our family maintains a high level of awareness regarding a non-toxic home, food, and personal care environment. Safe cleaning and personal care products? Check. Stainless steel lunch boxes? Check. We own mostly glass storage containers and never microwave food plastic. Ever. We even recently retired our 13-year-old high-end, chipping non-stick pots and pans, replacing them with stainless steel. But if someone asked me the “why” behind that latest decision when it happened, my answer would have b
Edible Sarasota •

High Hopes. A feature on Dr. Margaret Lowman, arbornaut

Dr. Margaret Lowman is among the most impressive women I’ve ever met.

Her determination has earned her the titles of biologist, educator, mother, ecologist, author, fundraiser, conservationist, public speaker, and National Geographic explorer. She holds an undergrad in biology, a master’s in ecology, and a PhD in botany.

Lowman has decades of experience as a published field scientist who's worked in 46 countries across all seven continents. She’s launched nature research centers and run nonpro
Costco Connection •

Costco Connection Flavor and function / Supplier Spotlight

Costco sauerkraut supplier Wildbrine hits the mark with taste and nutrition

Mother Nature is a key element behind the sauerkraut from Costco supplier Wildbrine. The Santa Rosa, California-based company sources organic cabbage via partnerships with local California farmers, chasing the sun to ensure they can use the freshest produce year-round.

“Once it arrives, we inspect each head of cabbage before hand-processing it to remove the outer leaves and core,” says Hannah Lewis, Costco member and c
The Good Trade •

The Sustainable Compression Sock That Gives Back (Bombas Review)

The Good Trade editors endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and genuinely love. Learn more about our methodology and business model here.

Few people would consider socks an exciting topic in mainstream fashion. But if you are one of many fortunate enough to have drawers full of socks, you may be blissfully—and understandably—unaware of the portion of the population with no access to even one pair of socks, let alone a good pair.

Bombas believes wearing clean, comfortable cloth
Morning Shift Breakfast & Lunch •

Web Copy & Brand Story for new restaurant

In Charles Rohling’s family, growing up here in Kennesaw, if you cooked you didn’t have to clean.

One of five siblings, that motivated him to start cheffing it up as a preteen. Rohling gleaned the basics via food mags but by his senior year at Marietta High, his culinary creativity took hold as he started developing his own recipes. After college – and time a spent as a Georgia Tech track athlete – he picked up restaurant marketing and management experience in the big leagues, holding several c
The Good Trade •

How Alcohol Affects Our Bodies As We Age

Consistent alcohol consumption in large quantities can adversely affect physical and mental health, especially for those with addiction or heavy drinking tendencies. But for much of the population, enjoying the occasional cocktail, beer, or glass of wine with friends is a common and harmless socialization practice.

As a freshly minted legal drinker during college, I admit to having my fair share of such hangovers. Attending the number one party school in the nation meant I while excelled in my
Edible Sarasota •

Minding the Source

When you consider the food on your plate at a restaurant, ingredient sourcing is generally not top of mind. But consider this: At Grove Lakewood Ranch, that meal took immense planning, time, and physical energy. Each whole ingredient that makes up the carefully crafted cuisine was researched, sourced, procured, and prepped by Executive Chef Greg Campbell and his team.

This process didn’t come lightly. After 30 years of experience in food procurement, Campbell says it seems to get more challengi
The Good Trade •

How A Year Of Lifestyle Medicine Empowered Me To Manage My Own Health

I’ve been invested in personal health since my early teens. Whenever I veered toward poor health (ahem, college), I always seemed to recenter, finding my way back to what I considered a health-conscious lifestyle. Then, somewhere north of my 40th birthday, I started feeling subtle physical changes and a heightened sense of anxiety about aging. I wasn’t sick by conventional medical standards; I just felt a bit off. With active, young daughters and a family love of the outdoors, It became my prior
Your Observer •

Paddling in Peace

There’s a time machine that meanders through Southwest Floridaabout an hour from the white sand beaches of Siesta, Lido and Longboat keys. Spanish conquistadors called it Rio de la Paz, or River of Peace. The Seminole Indians referred to it as Talakchopcohatchee, or River of Long Peas — courtesy of the wild peas that grew upon its banks. Throughout Florida’s history, Peace River has supported the indigenous people and settlers who found solace in and among its presence.

As a second-generation F
Edible Sarasota •

Salt My Life

I felt a sense of relaxation the moment I walked into Salt of the Earth Wellness Center. While waiting for a word with owner Dianna Manoogian, I perused the goodies for sale at the front, which included jewelry, body oils, candles, salt lamps, crystals, and herbal tinctures. Although the potential for gift perfection was a definite perk, it was not the purpose of my visit. I was here to learn more about the salt therapy offered.

Before arriving, I’d read up on dry salt therapy, otherwise known
Edible Sarasota •

How Sweet They Are

In a world full of #fancyfood, how refreshing it is to tune in to the #authentic aroma and taste of freshly baked traditional cookies.

“It doesn’t always have to be glamourous,” says Clare Jerome, namesake and co-owner of Clarabell Cookies, whose flagship store opened in Gulf Gate last August. “Something is charming about a cookie that just looks and tastes homemade.”

Clarabell cookies are beautiful, BTW, just not in an In-sta-obsessed way. These cookies transcend any pleasure one might feel f
Edible Sarasota •

Just Ginger

“We took a piece of ginger and planted it to see if it would grow and it did,” says Darcy, co-owner of the farmers’ market business Just Ginger. “When we harvested the root it was just so delicious, so fresh.”

The husband-and-wife team started growing more, until one day they decided to bring their surplus harvest to St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market. The response was so positive they found a supplier of organic rhizome stock in Hawaii and kept expanding. Two years later, the Presnells now gro
Edible Sarasota •

On Behalf of Our Water

As the water gets clearer and marine life slowly recovers; as the sand returns to powdery white and fills once again with beachgoers, the red tide hangover looms—physically and economically—driving Sarasota residents to elevate efforts for the health and vitality of local waterways.

“It starts in our homes and businesses and extends throughout the community to civil servants and our elected officials,” says Larry Stults, president of Sarasota Baywatch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to pres
Edible Sarasota •

Blueberries, Albritton Fruit Farms

Last March, Albritton Fruit Farms opened its fourth blueberry season under different circumstances than seasons past: the start of a global pandemic. While this could have turned out to be detrimental to the business, instead it presented John and Sarah Albritton’s U-pick blueberry operation with a boom in sales for the season.

According to Sarah Albritton, who manages the U-pick operation, the 2019 season had brought—maybe—100 cars during the busiest day. During the 2020 season, the car line e
Edible Sarasota •

Waste Warrior

Her wanderlust days may be over but Kat Cosentino still considers herself a citizen of the world.

“I was an eternal nomad that wouldn’t have really called anywhere my home,” says Cosentino of her days traveling the world.

Although she still travels when she can, the Sarasota native seems pretty darn content on her 6.2-acre homestead in the heart of Sarasota. It is there that she tends to her beloved hens (there are 14), a vegetable garden, and fruit-filled orchard—a gift to herself for a recen
Edible Sarasota •

With Open Arms

When Darrin and Emily Campbell built their dream home on five acres just east of I-75, they stayed close to their Christian faith and honored an intention to offer open arms to all who entered.

“We value people and relationships above things,” says Emily. “We wanted a place where people would lose track of time and just keep talking.”

Since its completion in 2014, the Campbell home has been THAT place—hosting game nights, weddings, birthdays, and many other occasions with and for extended fami
Edible Sarasota •

Rise Up

Knick’s Tavern and Grill co-owner Knickole Barger felt the same pains as most local restaurant owners when the pandemic hit her operations full-force in late March. Yet the resilient Sarasota native’s reaction to the unpredictable situation was to rise up.

As she quickly shifted her business to curbside pickup options at the restaurant, several regulars had already reached out, asking how they could cover the cost of feeding hospital staff through her restaurant. Barger’s ingenuity kicked in as
Edible Sarasota •

The Solorzanos La Famiglia

From brick-oven pizzas to sonorous family banter, a dinner with Italian cuisine restaurateurs the Solorzano family is everything I imagined it to be.

The moment I walk through the wrought iron gate into Franca and Carlos Solorzano's courtyard I am no longer in a deed-restricted Gulf Gate neighborhood. Instead, I am in an Italian garden complete with fountains, lush greenery, and pergolas, a continuous oasis that serves as the frame for the Solorzano home.

Matriarch and second-generation Italia
Edible Sarasota •

Beacon of Growth, Natalia Levey

“It is important for us to learn to be kind to ourselves so we can project that to other people,” says Levey, the founder of Hi Hospitality Group, which operates Kojo, Speaks Clam Bar, and the upcoming St. Pete Food Hall project. “I say become a beacon and spread positivity as much as you can within the industry and keep learning!”

Levey’s mindful approach is holistic, all-encompassing, and focused on the well-being of the entire “ecosystem” of an establishment— not just the menu. Each componen
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