Aliza Green is an American chef and writer. In addition to being one of the first women chefs in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, she is known as a pioneer of the

farm-to-table Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork, and in some cases farm-to-school) is a social movement which promotes serving local food at restaurants and school cafeterias, preferably through direct acquisition from the producer (which might be a winery, brewe ...

movement. She was one of the first chefs in Philadelphia to deal directly with local farms and utilize locally raised food in her restaurants. She writes as a food columnist and has published more than a dozen books about food.

Career

Aliza Green grew up in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

but was part of an extended family that included people in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Borough Park, Brooklyn Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heigh ...

, a

Hasidic Jewish Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

section of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. As a result, she traveled extensively and was exposed to different cultures and foods, even as a child. A self-taught chef, Green opened her own catering business in 1975. Her first job as a chef was at the restaurant Under the Blue Moon in Philadelphia, PA. She studied briefly in Italy with

Marcella Hazan Marcella Hazan (née Polini; April 15, 1924 – September 29, 2013) was an Italian cooking writer whose books were published in English. Her cookbooks are credited with introducing the public in the United States and the United Kingdom to the ...

. She then joined Ristorante DiLullo, where she became the executive chef for Joe Dilullo and won the restaurant a four-star rating. She also met her future husband, Don Reiff, the restaurant's architect. At Ristorante DiLullo, Green cultivated connections with farmers, buying from them directly and commissioning them to grow and harvest desired plants and zucchini blossoms. Green was recruited by Judy Wicks at the White Dog Cafe in 1984. There she developed a regional menu around farm-to-table cooking, focusing on food simplicity and fresh ingredients. From White Dog, she went to Apropos, developing a menu around Middle Eastern flavors "long before Middle Eastern flavors were trendy". She currently is the chef manager at Baba Olga's Cafe & Supper Club. Although she lives in

, Green has traveled extensively throughout the world, researching foods and the ingredients used in them. She also leads culinary tours in the

Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a geographical region located between Lazio and Tuscany, Central Italy. The biggest city is Grosseto. The region, with a long history, is traditionally populated by the '' butteri'', mounted c ...

and

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

regions of Italy. She has written many cookbooks, beginning in 1997 with a collaboration with

Georges Perrier Georges Perrier (born 1943) is a French chef who emigrated to the United States in 1967 and lived in Philadelphia, where he founded and ran Le Bec-Fin and other restaurants, bars and cafés across the country. Early life At age 12, Perrier crea ...

to publish recipes from

Le Bec-Fin Le Bec-Fin was a French cuisine, French restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that first opened in 1970. Owner and founder Georges Perrier named the restaurant after the French colloquialism for "fine palate". The restaurant had been rated Ame ...

restaurant. Since then, she has generally focused on specific groups of ingredients. Her publications include the successful ''Field Guide'' series. Green has stated that women chefs and restaurant owners are still a minority:

Bibliography

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Awards and honors

* Member of

Les Dames d'Escoffier Les Dames d'Escoffier is an American society of professional women involved in the food, fine beverage, and hospitality industry, hospitality industries. History Les Dames d'Escoffier was founded in New York City in 1976, by food writer Carol Broc ...

International * 1988, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' Hall of Fame as one of the top ten most influential people in the city's food industry * 2001,

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awar ...

, Best Single Subject for ''Ceviche! : seafood, salads, and cocktails with a Latino twist'', with Guillermo Pernot * 2004, ''The New York Times'', Top cookbooks of the year for ''Beans'' * 2004, ''Houston Chronicle'', Editor's Pick for ''Field Guide to Produce'' * 2012, ''Cooking Light'', Top Cookbooks of the Last 25 Years, for ''Making artisan pasta''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Aliza American chefs American women chefs American food writers American cookbook writers American women food writers Living people James Beard Foundation Award winners Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women