Hi, we’re Kelsi and Keri Matwick, identical twin sisters and linguists passionate about language, food, and culture. Here, we explore topics like cookbooks, cooking shows, tourism, and diploimacy—all through the lens of food and language, and their dialogue with culture and society.
Keri teaches Language and Communication at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, while Kelsi teaches Academic Writing in the University Writing Program at the University of Florida, USA.
Together, we also teach courses on food, culture, and the media in the College of Journalism and Communication at the University of Florida and Technical Writing for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Kelsi and Keri earned their PhDs in Linguistics from the University of Florida in 2016. Kelsi’s dissertation focused on language and gender in cookbooks by female celebrity chefs, while Keri’s explored storytelling and authenticity on cooking shows.
Their academic career began with a BA and MA in Romance Language and Literature from the University of Notre Dame (2005, 2010). They studied abroad in Spain multiple times and have traveled extensively in Spanish-speaking countries. Additionally, they studied French, art, and history in Paris and Japanese in Tokyo and conducted research on second language acquisition in Montpellier, France.
Keri was a Fulbright Scholar in Honduras in Spring 2018, teaching English for Tourism at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazan in Tegucigalpa. From September 2024 to August 2025, Kelsi is a Fulbright Scholar in Japan, teaching American Studies at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (September–February) and the University of the Ryukyus (February–August).
The twin sisters bring 14 years of undergraduate teaching experience: two years in Spanish and 12 in English Academic Writing and Professional Communication. They also hold Foreign Language Teaching Certificates and Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Certificates.
Keri and Kelsi are United States Air Force veterans who served active duty as Personnel Officers at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska, 2005-2008. They worked with an F-16 jet squadron and the base personnel center. They continued as Reservists until 2015, separating as Captains (O-3).
They are skilled in web design and earned a graduate certificate in Web Design and Online Communication from the University of Florida in 2016.
When not researching food and language or traveling, they are musicians and perform violin and piano duets at many weddings and ceremonies. They are also avid runners, completing half and full marathons (26.2 miles, 42.1km).
Research interests: discourse analysis; multimodal analysis; food discourse; culinary diplomacy, food and language; celebrity chefs; food, media and cultural studies; academic writing