Author.
I co-authored the children’s picture book “Hold the Anchovies!” with the very talented photographer Shelley Rotner. Shelley had illustrated many non-fiction books for young children but she had never done a book about food. She asked me if I would be interested in conceiving a book to help children better understand and connect to the food they eat. We decided pizza would be a fun food to “deconstruct”. Orchard Books published this “farm-to-table” primer for the pre-school set in 1996.
Recipe Development.
My experience as a recipe developer includes work for both celebrity chefs and popular brands including Martha Stewart, Mary Berry and South Beach Diet. I have also worked as a recipe developer in the test kitchens of Ladies Home Journal Magazine and as the writer of a monthly food column for Working Mother Magazine.
Cookbook Editor Project Manager
My experience with cookbook production and development began when I worked with Martha Stewart as a styling assistant on her cookbook, Quick Cook II (Clarkson, Potter, Inc. 1989). Since then I have contributed to many more cookbooks in the role of editor, stylist, project manager, or in some cases a combination of all three. My work as editor of Hugo Ortega’s Street Food of Mexico (Bright Sky Press, 2012) is something for which I am especially proud.
“When you look back, you see periods of time inextricably linked with some people, some place, some thing. For me it was…food.”
— James Beard
Television Food Stylist.
From 1991-1995, I worked as a Food Stylist/Production Assistant for ABC Network’s Good Morning America and LIVE with Regis and Kathy Lee, CBS Network’s CBS This Morning, and NBC Network’s Today Show. All four programs were recorded live in New York City. Some of the many guests I worked with include Wolfgang Puck, Linda McCartney, Martha Stewart, Mary Sue Milliken, Mollie Katzen, Marie Simmons, Jane Brody.
Copy Writer and Designer.
On several occasions, I have had the opportunity to use my skills as both a writer and a stylist to help speciality food companies produce promotional materials to introduce new projects and services to their clients. Some of my clients have been Ciao Bella Gelato, Italian Trade Commission, Carluccio’s London, El Paso Chili Company.
Organizer.
I am extremely proud of the leadership positions that I have held in various professional organizations over the years. In 1993, I was the founding Programs Director for the International Association of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs the year it was launched by then board members Lidia Bastianich, Joyce Goldstein, Mary Sue Milliken and Barbara Tropp. More recently, in 2010, I was a founding organizer of the Come To The Table fundraiser at The Beacon - now in its 10th year. This event brings Houston’s best chefs together to support Houston’s homeless residents.