The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Names Monti Carlo Food and Dining Editor

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is pleased to announce Monti Carlo as its next food and dining editor. She brings more than 26 years of media experience, including 15 years focused on culinary storytelling at the intersection of culture and community.

Carlo brings a wide range of experience to the AJC as a two-time Telly Award–winning Puerto Rican food media veteran, special events chef and cookbook author. She previously served as a senior food editor for Amazing America, Everything Food and Budget Bytes, and has bylines in The Washington Post, Bon Appétit, The Spruce Eats and projects with the Jacques Pépin Foundation.

She also hosts “Let’s Eat” for AMP and co-hosts “Best Bite Wins” with Josh Peck on Roku. Carlo first gained national recognition as the first Puerto Rican woman to compete on FOX’s “MasterChef” and has since worked with Netflix, Food Network, Cooking Channel, PBS and Tastemade.

Her upcoming cookbook, “Spanglish: Recipes and Stories,” a love letter to bicultural Puerto Rican cooking, will be published by Simon & Schuster’s Simon Element in May 2026. Since 2020, Carlo has served the James Beard Foundation as a judge, host and member of its Broadcast Media Awards subcommittee, championing the heart and soul of American food.

“Monti brings a unique blend of editorial leadership and multiplatform ambition to the AJC’s food and dining coverage,” said Janel Davis, managing editor of Lifestyle. “We look forward to seeing her lead the team into its next chapter.”

“Atlanta is where I first learned how to tell stories and first cooked in a professional kitchen,” said Carlo. “My career has taken me all over the country, but food has always been my way home, perhaps never more so than in this moment. I’m deeply honored to return to Atlanta to lead the AJC’s food and dining coverage, telling stories that live beyond the plate. From cherished institutions to strip-mall gems, we’ll celebrate Southern food as it’s lived today, while sharing recipes that help readers cook with confidence and heart. I’m excited to help grow AJC’s digital food storytelling in ways that feel personal, inclusive, and rooted in a community that truly is the Ellis Island of the South.”

Carlo joins the AJC amid its rapid evolution from a storied daily newspaper into a modern media company serving audiences across platforms. The Food and Dining team’s “Atlanta 50” guide, released in September 2025, ranked among the top five most-read pieces on AJC.com over the past year.