Born and raised abroad, mostly in Asia, Lorraine discovered Paris intimately while studying art history at Ecole du Louvre, a school which holds most of its classes directly in museums and monuments. After several years spent in NYC, getting her Master's degree in Modern Art at Columbia University and working at the Guggenheim Museum, she returned to her adopted city in 2008 to start a PhD. Currently specializing in the history of photography and visual culture, active member of the Laboratoire d'histoire visuelle contemporaine, Lorraine also works as a freelance art critic, teaches art history, and nurtures a few artistic projects of her own.

Barbra discovered her love of food when what was supposed to be a year off before graduate school turned into a decade of dessert making, first in Colorado and then New York City, where she worked at the restaurants Washington Park, Prune, and Cookshop, among others. Many trips and countless meals later, she's now a freelance writer living in Paris, where she publishes the blog Serve It Forth.

Andrew Ayers read history of architecture in London before coming to Paris for a three-month study period. Ten years later he has still not finished those studies or left Paris, but has gotten to know the French capital inside out while writing an in-depth guide to the city's architecture. He has recently branched out to the provinces, publishing a monograph on a Tours-based architect. More writing projects are in the pipeline...

Marie Theres Berger is a painter who has made Paris her home since more then two decades. She works in her studio in Montmartre and shows her paintings in galleries in Europe and the United States. She studied history at the University of Cologne, Germany and painting at the Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia Pa. before she came to Paris to study art history at the Ecole de Louvre. Her knowledge of art history is enhanced by her practical painting experience. Beyond a purely academic approach this enables her to convey the emotional dimension of the artwork and to focus attention on the act of creation. She loves to share her passion for art and painting and is fascinated by the 19th century artistic heritage of Paris , it's art movements and urbanism.

The daughter of two expatriate Americans, Rebecca Cavanaugh was born and raised in London. She fell in love with Paris as a teenager, later cultivating her passion for French culture through a study abroad program as an undergraduate art student at Skidmore College. Rebecca fulfilled her dream of moving back to the City of Light in 2007, where she has been conducting research for her Master's thesis in inter-war French decorative arts and design. A freelance writer, budding design educator, and amateur jazz singer, Rebecca received her Master's degree from New York's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, in partnership with Parsons the New School for Design, in spring 2008.

Louisa Chu is a chef and writer. Recipient of a James Beard Foundation Scholarship and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Louisa worked at the Paris Michelin three-star restaurant Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athenee and Les Ambassadeurs at the Hotel de Crillon. She's currently a columnist for CHOW magazine and has appeared on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel. She will soon be seen on Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie on PBS in the US and Chic Eats on Discovery International. Louisa also publishes the food blog Movable Feast.

Charlotte Lacaze fell in love with Paris when she was a high school student, and made it her home in 1978 after having earned a Ph.D. at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University. She has taught art history in New York City, Florence and for many years in Paris where she has just become professor emerita of The American University in Paris. A medievalist by training, she has also taught ancient art, introduced a course on the urban history of Paris and led many study trips for students and adults in France and elsewhere in Europe. Her enthusiasm for Paris and its treasures has never flagged.

Damien Delille is currently working on a Ph.D dissertation on the late XIXth century in Art History and the crisis of masculinity. Interested in identity, gender and political issues, he is active in the French contemporary art and fashion worlds writing critics for magazines and as a television journalist. He earned a Master in Fine Art and Art History in Aix-en-Provence (South of France) and San Francisco and he has worked on several exhibitions (cultural program of Fondation de France). He tries to deal with different ways of transmitting art with a critical sense.

The daughter of a sculptor, Marie has been surrounded by art ever since she was born. A native Parisienne, she holds an undergraduate degree in history and art history, with a specialty in iconography and French paintings from the 16C to the 18C. She is now working on a Master's degree in Museology at the Ecole du Louvre, writing her thesis on the renovation of the Petit Palais Museum in Paris. Since she loves literature, ballets, theatre plays, operas, jazz clubs and classical concerts - she has been playing the piano for thirteen years - Paris and it's artistic life is a perfect fit.

Claire Downey is an architectural historian who has lived in Paris for many years. She covers contemporary architecture for Architectural Record. For several years she published her own magazine about Paris called This City Paris. She lives with her French husband and two children in a suburb east of Paris.

A native Parisienne, Marie is currently pursuing a Master's in museology from the Ecole du Louvre. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Art History from the Ecole du Louvre and one in History from the Sorbonne. Marie has lived extensively in both the US and Austria. Before coming to Context, she has worked in various art and photography galleries in Paris and Vienna.

Robin Emlein is currently pursuing her Masters degree in museum studies at the Ecole du Louvre, writing her thesis on the sculptures in the gardens of Versailles and their restoration throughout the 20th century. She also holds undergraduate degrees in French and art history from the Ecole du Louvre and Wellesley College.

Native Parisian Philippe Engammare's love affair with food and cooking began when he was six years old. By the time he was eight, he was preparing entire meals for eight-person family. Today he runs a catering and teaching organization called Paris Chef and leads market walks and other culinary programs for Context. As a rule, Philippe does all of his food shopping exclusively on bicycle at his neighborhood stores and markets. Visit his website at www.parischef.fr

A French-American Parisienne, Aimee Froom received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. A curator and an art historian, she is a specialist of Islamic art whose interests range from French Impressionism to the history of St Germain des Pres. Before moving to Paris, Aimee was for years curator at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, a fellow at the Metropolitan Museum and a visiting professor at Brown University and the Bard Graduate Center for the Decorative Arts. In Paris, she is sourcing objects in French national collections for an exhibition on gift-giving to take place at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2010 and has lectured at the Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris. She takes the Eurostar several times a semester to lecture in London for the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her book on the Persian ceramics collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco will be published in fall 2008.

A native Parisian, Juliette Gitel-Lassablière started her career at Unifrance Films International before entering into Fashion field which she has always been passionate about. After university degrees in Economics and Sociology and a Marketing-Sales MBA, she has since 2003 worked for worldwide trend agencies – Promostyl, Peclers and NellyRodi. Specialising in trend research, she has developed marketing programs and creative workshops for many Fashion and Beauty brands including luxury ones. Her special interest is upcoming trends, talents and products. She also loves shopping especially in her city, Paris.

A native of Los Angeles, Patricia left the land of permanent sunshine and freeways to spend a year at the Université de Bordeaux. As a result, she has dedicated the better part of her life to studying French and francophone language, literature, history, art history, and culture. She holds a B.A. in French language and literature, a B.A. and M.A. in French history, and is currently working on her doctoral dissertation on 19th and 20th century French colonial photography. She has spent the past several years in France, Morocco, and California for her dissertation work.

A native of Canada, Lily studied art in Italy and then in Paris as part of her Fine Arts Degree. Her love of art and culture brought her back to Europe after graduation, and she has made the City of Light her home for the last eight years. Her varied professional experience includes working in museums and art galleries in Canada and France as well as teaching at the University of Paris and the French National Film School. Lily also manages to find the time to do some writing and translation work and mixed-media art projects.

Michael Herrman is a practicing architect with undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture from Cornell and Princeton Universities. Michael is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship and the Rome Prize in Architecture. He has lived and worked in Japan and Europe during the past ten years, most recently in the office of Jean Nouvel in Paris where he worked extensively on the Musée du Quai Branly (opened in the summer of 2006). He currently divides his time between Paris and Rome.

Jennifer Huxta is a photographer and field poet. Originally from Pennsylvania, Jennifer has lived in Paris for 5 years, teaching photography with Oxbridge Academic Programs, organizing several Maine Photographic Workshops overseas programs, and working as a translator for journalists on reportage in France. She currently divides her time between Paris and Philadelphia.

Rosa's love affair with French food began at age four, when her family spent a year in Paris. In 1995 she moved to Paris from Canada and spent nine months as an interpreter at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. She now makes her living writing about restaurants for magazines and guidebooks, designing custom food itineraries for visitors to Paris, and teaching cooking in Nice. Rosa has published two cookbooks in French, Petites recettes pour grandir and La cuisine des paresseuses (both with Marabout). She also has a food blog, www.rosajackson.blogspot.com.

After having worked as a teacher in Switzerland for several years, Martin moved to Paris to study Art History at the Sorbonne. With a specialty in 19th century Art, he has worked as a curator assistant for a number of major exhibitions, including the Louvre's show on Delacroix. Since 2006 Martin is responsible for the exhibitions in the Louvre and is working on several projects for the French and Italian Masters as well as contemporary art.

James King is a British artist who has lived in Paris for nearly 20 years. He has taught and lectured extensively on modern and contemporary art but is first and foremost a practicing artist himself. He leads a number of hands-on painting and drawing workshops for Context Paris in Giverny, Auvers sur Oise (the last home of Van Gogh), and other places.

Camille Labro is a Franco-American who has spent her life between France and the United States. She was born in Berkeley, California, where she became a member of the Chez Panisse family. She was raised in Provence, then spent ten years in New York (working as a correspondent for French Vogue) before returning to Paris. In addition to her career in the French media (magazines as well as TV and radio), she has contributed to the Slow Food Guidebook and the Insight Guide's Food Guide to Paris, and has worked as a food editor for the Paris Times, Biba, and the Lifestyle supplements of La Tribune. She's also the author of the guidebook New York Confidential (Assouline, 1999) and is currently working on a culinary documentary for TV, and a cookbook, about her mum's Provencal cuisine. A gourmet and home cook as well, she's dedicated to making the best and purest food with local, seasonal produce.

Marie has always been passionate about food and wine. After obtaining a Master's in Wine she worked for a while in the wine industry in France and in the US. Upon returning to France she decided to pursue her love of food by studying under various high-level and even Michelin-starred Parisian chefs. In 2008, she created Kitchen Barn (www.kitchenbarn.com), a chef-at-home and catering company. Open-minded, she loves to mix various food influences. She is always looking for new tastes and new flavors to create perfect pairings. Farmers' markets, restaurants and walks are some of the good ways for her to find inspiration. And a simple stroll in Paris might turn into a real trip – a voyage of the senses.

A native Parisian, Philippe has worked as a curator in many of Paris' top museums, including the Louvre, the Petit Palais, the National Gallery "Jeu de Paume", and in the French Academy at the Villa Médici in Rome. Fluent in Italian, Philippe spent many years dividing his time between Rome and Paris, developing a love for both cities. He is thus well positioned to discuss the history of Paris and French art within the context of the Italian Renaissance. Philippe has a Masters degree in art history and museum studies from the Ecole du Louvre and now works as a collection manager in the Louvre's decorative arts section.

David Lebovitz worked for many years as a pastry chef at Chez Panisse in San Francisco before moving to Paris in order to write and lecture. He is the author of several books about pastries and deserts, including the Great Book of Chocolate (Ten Speed Press). David has studied chocolate at Callebaut College in Belgium and done advanced coursework in baking and the art of confectionery at the renowned Ecole Lenotre in Paris. David also inspires food lovers around the world with his entertaining and informative blog. His latest cookbook: Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes will be released in April 2010.

David Lewis moved to Paris to research a Ph.D. thesis on Francis Picabia and the origins of postmodern aesthetics. He is a frequent contributor to Artforum.com and an active participant in the Parisian contemporary art scene. Recently, he curated the exhibition "Tender is the Night" at Gavin Brown's Passerby in New York and presented research on Henri Matisse at the Frick Collection and Pablo Picasso at the College Art Association conference in Dallas. Formerly a painter, David mixes historical acumen with instinctive visual acuity and practice-based connoisseurship. He believes that all aspects of contemporary culture are best understood by way of their historical background, and is as interested in classical and impressionist painting as he is in the avant-garde.

Yumna Masarwa received her Ph.D. in Art & Archaeology from Princeton University and wrote her dissertation on 8th-century military architecture in Palestine. She is currently an associate member at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) working on interdisciplinary studies of archaeology, architecture, religion and history. She teaches "the Architecture of Paris from Roman Times until Nowadays" at Oxbridge Summer Academic Program in Paris, where she has been living since 2005.

Sarah Vandenhende, an American from New York, couldn't find a better place than Paris to combine her passions in life: Fashion, Art and Food. This "touche-a-tout", has lived in the Marais section of Paris for over twenty years, where she capitalized on her fashion experience at Vogue Magazine to develop and market a leather glove Collection for Fendi and Adriste while launching the Galerie Orem, which specializes in Chinese Contemporary Art. If that wasn't enough, Sarah indulged in her love for food and recently completed the Intermerdiate cooking classes at the famous "Le Cordon Bleu".

An art historian and curator, Peter holds advanced degrees in art history from Williams College (M.A.) and New York University's Institute of Fine Arts (Ph.D.). A specialist in French nineteenth-century art, he has published widely about artist-travelers in the Orient. Before moving to Paris in 2000 to complete his dissertation on Théodore Chassériau, Peter worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Clark Art Institute. Recently, he has contributed to exhibitions appearing at the Louvre, the Grand Palais and the Institut du Monde Arabe. A fan of Balzac and contemporary photography, he is as fascinated by the changing urban geography of Paris as he is by its artistic heritage.

Gabrielle MonDesire first lived in France on a semester abroad in the Southeastern city of Grenoble. She earned her B.A. in French and Francophone Literature from Swarthmore College. In 2006, she decided to pursue a lifelong dream - she moved to Paris to study French cuisine. In 2007, she enrolled in the Ecole Supérieur de Cuisine Française's passion sucré-salé course, earning a certificate in French pastry in 2008. Gabrielle has interned at some of Paris' finest restaurants, including Le Plaza Athénée, Le Meurice, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Market, and the Musée du Quai Branly's Les Ombres.

Sophie came to Paris looking for an adventure. Originally intending to stay for six months, she is still here over two years later. She did her BA in English Literature and History at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and recently completed an MA in Paris Studies at the University of London in Paris. She specialized in the history and culture of 19th and 20th century Paris and wrote her MA thesis on the relationship between Paris and Algeria, focussing on the cultural representation of 17th October 1961. She is passionate about literature, cinema and art, but is always hoping to improve her knowledge of less familiar subjects. Paris inspires endless curiosity and inspiration in Sophie, and it is a pleasure for her to be able to share these sentiments with others.

Lisa Pasold is a freelance writer originally from Montreal. She has been thrown off a train in Belarus, eaten the world's best pigeon pie in Marrakech, and mushed huskies in the Yukon. But her favorite place to explore is still Paris, where she has lived for ten years. Along with two books of poetry, her writing has appeared in newspapers like the Toronto Globe and Mail and the Chicago Tribune, and in such guidebooks as Fodor's and Time Out.

For Canadian-born Elaine Polley, Paris was a case of love at first sight. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Medieval Studies at Zurich University, where she is writing her dissertation on Arthurian legends. She also holds two Masters degrees (in French Literature and Medieval Studies), and spent years as a graduate student at the Sorbonne. As a result, Paris--and its Middle Ages--runs through Elaine's blood. When she's not holed up in a research library, one can find her exploring the Cluny, St. Germain des Pres, or any variety of other Medieval site in the city.

After working as a graduate student at the Getty Museum and as curator of a private collection in southern California, Christine Rolland arrived in France 22 years ago on a Fulbright Fellowship and then a Metropolitan Museum of Art Theodore Rousseau Fellowship. In the course of completing her PhD dissertation for UCSB on the 18th century French painter Louis Michel Van Loo, she married, started a family, and never left France. She did receive her PhD and today she lives in Normandy, where she is very active in building networks to preserve the local architectural and archaeological heritage. As president of a non-profit association for five years, she salvaged the association itself which was about to be dissolved, as well as a 13th century classified monument which was about to be sold, and a museum of local history whose collections were about to be dispersed. Christine is member of a multidisciplinary research group at the University of Rouen (GRHIS). An independent scholar specializing in forgotten traveling Old Master painters, studio techniques, portraiture, and early modern European networks, she has also worked as a researcher for a painting conservation studio.

Anna Russakoff received her PhD in 2006 from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. A specialist in medieval art, she has published and presented numerous conference papers on illuminated manuscripts. She is preparing a book proposal based on her dissertation about representations of miraculous images of the Virgin Mary. She currently teaches at the American University of Paris. She is also an France Director of the International Medieval Society in Paris.

A native Parisian, Laure-Caroline Semmer, completed her PhD at the Sorbonne, with a focus on Paul Cezanne, and other impressionists, on which subjects she has published two books: Lire la peinture de Cezanne (Larousse 2006) and Les oeuvres de l'Impressionnisme (Larousse 2007). She currently teaches art history at the Universite; Versailles Saint Quentin, and also fine arts at the Ecole de Communication Visuelle. Laure-Caroline is extremely passionate about art and art history, and tries to convey this passion in the people she teaches.

Heather Stimmler-Hall first came to Paris as a university student in 1995, and has been living and working in France as a journalist and travel writer ever since. She is the author of the "Paris & Ile-de-France Adventure Guide" and has had her articles published in magazines and newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic and China. She is always on the lookout for the city's hidden corners and insider information to put in her monthly Secrets of Paris Newsletter.

Susan Taylor Leduc received her PhD in art history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. After working for the Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. she moved to Paris and has worked as a professor, freelance curator and tour guide. As an independent scholar she has studied the gardens of Versailles in the eighteenth century and the interconnections between gardens and gastronomy.

Daughter of artist-teacher parents, Cerise was an art lover long before she began to study art history at the age of 16. Originally from the southwest of England, she moved to London in 2001 where she studied for her B.A. degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art and worked for two years at the Royal Academy of Arts. She came to Paris in 2004, where she has remained. After studying French and translation for three years, she obtained her masters degree in art history and museology from the Ecole du Louvre this year. A specialist in French eighteenth-century painting, Cerise has written two successful dissertations on J.-H. Fragonard, soon to be published, and intends to continue her research. Cerise is also an experienced dancer and is equally passionate about the theatre and the performing arts. A great believer in making the arts accessible to all, she is delighted to have the opportunity to share her knowledge and passion for the subject.

Born on Ile de la Cité 33 years ago, Cedrik really discovered Paris as a Sorbonne student, tracking the favorite spots of American writers, from Hemingway's Ritz to Faulkner's Luxembourg. With a Master's degree in American Literature and a two-year seminar in Theology & Philosophy from Institut Catholique de Paris, Cedrik has traveled around the world from India to South Africa, from Northern Canada to China's great wall or to Indonesia's coral reefs. A journalist and documentary filmmaker and has also worked closely with his family's cultural association leading cultural walks on Parisian history and society. Specialized in Bohemian artistic Paris, American poets, dancers and jazz, Cedrik loves sharing the unique aspects of the City of Light.

Originally from the Deep-South, Paris-based food writer and Context docent Wendy Lyn guides savvy travelers to the very best of culinary Paris with tailor-made itineraries and experiences. She has been featured in Condé Nast Traveller, Luxe City Guides Paris and Food Arts Magazine and is also the Founder|Editor of The Paris Kitchen™ - www.thepariskitchen.com, publishing weekly on-line culinary news, profiles on people in food, tasting notes, hot lists of where to eat now, seasonal ingredients with recipes and reader Q&A and more. Wendy's culinary expertise began as a child shelling peas on the porch with her grandfather, to living in Paris, and later working as a Public Relations-Media Advisor for Chef Charlie Trotter, the Alain Ducasse Groupe USA, chocolate-maker Jacques Torres, The South Beach Food & Wine Festival, and the inaugural launch of the red Michelin Guide New York City 2006.

Carolin C. Young, a lifelong foodie and Francophile, has been researching the history of artful dining since 1997. She holds a Royal Society of Arts Diploma from Christie's Education, London and is the author of Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver; Stories of Dinner as a Work of Art (2002, Simon & Schuster). A Trustee of the Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, Young lectures widely and has created several historically inspired banquets and events, most notably for the Sotheby's Institute of Art in New York. A native New Yorker transplanted to Paris, she is currently writing an irreverent history of the fork and building a 10-ft. boiled egg inspired by Salvador Dali.

Meg Zimbeck came to Paris for a job in public health but developed an "un"healthy addiction to the city's food and wine. That obsession has been channeled through her fingertips and into more than 500 articles about eating and drinking in Paris. Now a full-time food and travel writer, Meg's words can be found in publications like the Wall Street Journal, Budget Travel and GEO as well as uppity urban guides like BlackBook and Gridskipper. Paris has been her home for more than five years.

Bernard Zirnheld moved to Paris from the United States to write his doctoral dissertation on the architecture and planning of the Rue Reaumur. The project explores the aftermath of Haussmannization during the Belle Epoque, a period in which Parisians devised new design strategies to approximate the picturesque neighborhoods they had lost to urban renewal. Bernie is a Ph.D. candidate in art history at Yale University with undergraduate studies in French literature and architectural design. A committed generalist, he is as eager to talk painting as he is to explore the city's monuments. His strong preparation in French visual and architectural production encompasses the entire sweep of modern history; from the introduction of Renaissance ideals under Francois Premier to twentieth-century avant-gardes. Sharing the sights of Paris with visitors both keeps him on his intellectual toes and reinvigorates his enthusiasm for a city that continues to fascinate him.