ATHENS, Ga. — Moultrie native Ivy Odom was among alumni of the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences who were honored March 1 at the college’s 41st annual Alumni Awards event.

Odom received the Pacesetter Award, which recognizes individuals who have graduated from FACS within the last 10 years.

Odom, who graduated in 2015 with a BSFCS in consumer journalism and a B.A. in Spanish, also has completed the culinary arts program at L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland and an internship at Empire State South in Atlanta.

She now serves as the test kitchen assistant for Meredith Food Studios, which produces photo, video and digital content for brands such as Southern Living, Real Simple and Food & Wine. She also stars in the Southern Living video series, “Hey Y’all.”

“Early on I identified her as someone special,” said Allison Long Lowery, director of Meredith Food Studios. “Even as a fellow, our term for an intern, she was exceeding our expectations by taking on projects for recipe development, raising her hand for special assignments and troubleshooting our processes. She also delivered exemplary work that met the high standards of our brands.”

Following the end of her fellowship, Odom was hired as the full-time test kitchen assistant in October 2017.

Since that time, “she has established herself in the food media world in a substantial way,” said Katie Barreira, test kitchen director.

“For the last year, Ivy has been a leader among the test kitchen assistants,” Barreira said. “She is a creative powerhouse, having tested and developed dozens of original recipes for nearly all of our brands.”

“Her on-camera charisma, her gift for storytelling and her passion for Southern cuisine have blossomed into the Southern Living video series ‘Hey Y’all’ in which Ivy stars,” Barreira said. “Not only is Ivy the talent, she pitches and develops the content for every episode. Her food, her home kitchen and her modern Southern roots are the heart of the series.”

Odom’s passion for her work has made an impression on her co-workers.

“She has won the attention of many people in leadership at Meredith not only for the high quality of work she delivers, but also for her work ethic, and the pure heart and soul she pours into what she does,” Lowery said. “These are qualities we rarely find in such a young employee, but Ivy is well beyond her years and truly functions as a pacesetter in our group.”