Anne Alderete is best known to many Angelenos as the voice behind the popular food blog, Tuna Toast. In 2005, Anne launched Tuna Toast to chronicle her adventures in food, wine and travel — all passions she has cultivated through her experiences living, traveling, and eating in nearly a dozen countries. Tuna Toast is featured on the blog rolls of LA Weekly’s Squid Ink, Eater LA and Grub Street LA, and has served as Anne’s gateway to not only great food conversation, but also the world of bloggers and social media engagement.

In her role as Social Media Manager at McCue Marketing Communications, Anne draws daily on her experience as a blogger to help clients avoid the pitfalls of marketing to social media communities before understanding the rules of engagement.

She began her career in media and public relations in Tokyo, where she moved to get back in touch with her cultural roots after studying Communications at Loyola Marymount University. In Tokyo, Anne began working as a buyer for the largest record store in the world, Tower Records Shibuya, then shortly moved on to become the national sales representative for Tower-owned Bayside Entertainment Distribution.

During her seven years in Tokyo, Anne’s fascination with food led to evenings at local izakayas (pubs serving simple, traditional food) and yakitori (skewers) stands, and afternoons grabbing one of the hundreds of freshly prepared sandwiches, obentos or baked goods offered at one of the city’s famed depachika (department store basement grocery stores).

Returning to Los Angeles, Anne worked in music PR and artist management before making the jump to television at TV Guide Network. As Managing Editor of the network’s flagship daily show, Hollywood 411, she directed producers and bookers with regard to story focus and content for day-of-air and future story production, while managing content for all breaking news stories.

It was during this period that the allure of a culinary career took hold, and Anne enrolled at Culver City’s New School of Cooking. She has since honed both her public relations and culinary passions in positions at a restaurant-focused public relations firm and as an independent consultant for gourmet clients, prior to joining the staff at McCue Marketing Communications.