{"id":7707,"date":"2022-05-10T06:43:17","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T11:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=7707"},"modified":"2022-05-10T06:43:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T11:43:18","slug":"chef-irene-li","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, is a chef and a restaurateur, but her interests have long gone beyond cuisine. On the Hill, she was a College Scholar who focused much of her studies on criminal justice reform and prison education, including teaching at a maximum-security facility in nearby Auburn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she and her siblings founded a Boston food truck and Chinese-inspired eatery, Li became a strong proponent of using pasture-raised meats and locally sourced ingredients\u2014and adhering to fair labor practices, including financial transparency with their workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For five years in a row (2015\u201319), the Arts & Sciences alum was a semifinalist for the \u201crising star chef\u201d award from the James Beard Foundation<\/a>, which bestows what are considered the Oscars of the food industry. In March, the foundation recognized her with its coveted Leadership Award\u2014given, it says, to \u201cvisionaries for their work in creating a better food world\u201d\u2014which she\u2019ll accept at a gala ceremony in Chicago in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hands
Li still teaches some of Mei Mei’s popular dumpling-making classes. (Photo provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

\u201cI’m surrounded by people who are intent on making the industry a livable and amazing place to work,\u201d says Li, contemplating the current state of U.S. restaurants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe amount of energy from new operators makes me really optimistic\u2014and on top of that is what we’re seeing from people who are organizing, whether through unions or other initiatives, to improve their workplaces. There’s so much energy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like so many others in the culinary realm, Li had to get creative when the pandemic forced the closure of her restaurant, Mei Mei<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Located in Boston\u2019s Fenway neighborhood, the 36-seat eatery was known for its dumplings\u2014some featuring unorthodox fillings, like braised beef with red wine and bleu cheese\u2014as well as its sandwiches on housemade scallion pancakes. Its top seller: the Double Awesome, comprising two \u201coozy\u201d eggs, Vermont cheddar, and pesto made from local greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When COVID hit, Li converted Mei Mei into a dumpling production facility; its wares are now sold at area farmers\u2019 markets as well as by mail order. (A presence in retail stores is in the works.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation will soon move to a larger space in South Boston, which will also serve meals on a limited basis. \u201cIt’s a way for us to still be involved in food,\u201d she says, \u201cbut without all of the complexity of a restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mei Mei has continued to offer its popular dumpling-making classes, both for corporate clients and for the public. They were taught online during the shutdown, and in-person sessions have resumed. \u201cThe virtual classes were huge during COVID,\u201d Li notes, \u201cand the revenue really helped us get through the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Irene
In fall 2018, Li came to campus for a visit during which she spoke to classes, held training sessions with Cornell Dining staff, met with students, and did a cooking demo in Okenshields, where several Mei Mei dishes were featured at dinner. (Photo by Lisa Banlaki Frank \/ CAM)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Beard Leadership Award came, in part, in recognition of Li\u2019s efforts to improve working conditions in kitchens and dining rooms, as well as her several philanthropic projects. Currently, her main focus is Prepshift<\/a>, a tech start-up she co-founded that aims to streamline onboarding and orientation for culinary workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s focused on helping owners and operators make sure their staff have everything they need to be successful\u2014from the compliance stuff that’s normally found in a handbook to \u2018Which door should I enter on my first day?\u2019 to \u2018Is there somewhere I can park my car?\u2019\u201d Li explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn restaurants, all too often you’re expected to learn by osmosis, which is not a real training strategy,” she continues. “So the goal is to increase both job performance and quality\u2014and my conviction is that it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game between owners and workers. If the right structures are in place, everybody can win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game between owners and workers. If the right structures are in place, everybody can win.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Li also helped found the nonprofit Project Restore Us<\/a>, which provides affordable and culturally appropriate groceries to Boston residents living in \u201cfood deserts\u201d\u2014neighborhoods without accessible markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She served on the board of CommonWealth Kitchen<\/a>, which supports food entrepreneurs from underserved groups, and helped launch its Restaurant Resiliency Initiative, which coached independent owners on navigating the pandemic, including how to apply for federal and state grants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m an Ivy League-educated young person\u2014and even for me, forms from the Small Business Administration are impossible to get through,\u201d she says. \u201cTrying to put resources in the places where they’re needed most was really rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food: A family passion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Li never planned on a culinary career, she notes that food was very much at the center of life for her Chinese-American clan as she was growing up. \u201cI think every family gathering was about, \u2018What are we eating for dinner?\u2019\u201d she recalls. \u201cAnd at every dinner, it was like, \u2018What are we eating tomorrow<\/em> for dinner?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The cookbook includes recipes for favorite Mei Mei dishes and more. (Image provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

As an undergrad with her own apartment downtown, Li made weekly trips to the Ithaca Farmers Market as a way to decompress. \u201cLots of people go there just to eat, and that was definitely me at first,\u201d she says. \u201cBut once you get past the cider donuts and breakfast burritos, there\u2019s all this produce and meat and lots of really interesting people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with her brother and sister, Li launched the original Mei Mei food truck during a leave of absence from Cornell she took after their father was diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s. (Li, who\u2019d handled the culinary side of the operation, eventually bought her siblings out of the business.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On top of the Beard rising star nods, Li\u2019s creative cuisine made her a \u201c30 Under 30\u201d honoree by both Forbes<\/em> and Zagat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, she and her siblings published a cookbook, Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen<\/em><\/a>, which landed on year\u2019s-best lists by NPR and the Boston Globe<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I love about cooking is the way that a meal can be transformative\u2014how food can surprise us, can comfort us,\u201d Li observes. \u201cSeeing the way that people respond to food you’ve cooked\u2014to me, that’s the most magical part.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top image: Photo provided<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published May 10, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":7733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[541],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-7707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","cornell_year_post-541"],"yoast_head":"\nChef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-10T11:43:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-10T11:43:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-10T11:43:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-10T11:43:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1075,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/\",\"name\":\"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-10T11:43:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-10T11:43:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"description\":\"The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"A portrait of Irene Li\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/chef-irene-li\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell's alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\",\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Saulnier\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/author\\\/ess8\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2022-05-10T11:43:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-05-10T11:43:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Saulnier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Saulnier","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Saulnier","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"headline":"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action","datePublished":"2022-05-10T11:43:17+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-10T11:43:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/"},"wordCount":1075,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg","articleSection":["Alumni"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/","name":"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg","datePublished":"2022-05-10T11:43:17+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-10T11:43:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"description":"The Boston restaurateur and dumpling maven now boasts a James Beard Leadership Award","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/Irene-Li-Headshot-Chalkboard-A.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"A portrait of Irene Li"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chef-irene-li\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chef Irene Li \u201912, BA \u201915, Marries Culinary Verve and Social Action"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell's alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100","name":"Beth Saulnier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beth Saulnier"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7707"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7758,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7707\/revisions\/7758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7707"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=7707"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=7707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}