Marlena Spieler (April 16, 1949 – July 6, 2023) was an American food writer of more than 70 cookbooks. She contributed to ''

Bon Appétit ''Bon Appétit'' is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center ...

'', ''

Saveur ''Saveur'' is an online gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that publishes essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews. It was started ...

'', and the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

food column A food column is a type of newspaper column dealing with food. It may be focused on recipes, health trends, or improving efficiency. It is generally geared towards gourmets or "foodies". Since 1994, food writers have also written columns and bl ...

"The Roving Feast."

Early life

Spieler was born in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. As a student, she started drawing recipes while she attended an art school. Her life interest was focused on cooking, tasting, and sharing stories about food.

Career

Spieler's publications were based on cooking, eating and sharing. As a food writer, she was the Roving Feast columnist for The ''

''. She also worked for radio and television shows. She wrote over 70 cookbooks. Spieler's book, "The Classic Barbecue and Grill Cookbook was a #1 best-seller in the United Kingdom. After writing "Yummy Potatoes," she was invited as an

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the 2008 UN Year of Potato conference in Peru.

Personal life and death

Marlena Spieler resided in the United Kingdom with her husband Alan until her death. She died at her home outside of London on July 6, 2023, at the age of 74.

Awards and recognitions

Spieler received the James Beard for two books and one newspaper column, the Guild of Food Writers Awards twice (UK best radio food broadcaster of the year), and the Association of Food Journalists (USA:Best Column in Newspaper of Over 400,000 circulation) twice, for radio presenting and publications. Her book "Feeding Friends" won the International Cookbook Award in Perigueux, France in 2000, and the "Jewish Heritage Cooking" book was honored in the

Loire Valley The Loire Valley (, ), spanning , is a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire river in central France, in both the administrative regions Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire. The area of the Loire Valley comprises about . It is r ...

in 2003, by a Special Jury Award at World Gourmand Book Awards.

Selected publications

# 1997 The Vegetarian Bistro: 250 Authentic French Regional Recipes # 2002 Williams-Sonoma Collection: Vegetable # 2002 The Jewish Heritage Cookbook # 2003 Classic Home Cooking by Marlena Spieler, Mary Frances Berry # 2004 Jewish Cooking # 2004 Grilled Cheese: 50 Recipes to Make You Melt by Marlena Spieler, Sheri Giblin # 2005 Macaroni & Cheese by Marlena Spieler, Noel Barnhurst # 2006 The Complete Guide to Traditional Jewish Cooking # 2007 Yummy Potatoes: 65 Downright Delicious Recipes by Marlena Spieler, Sheri Giblin (Photographs) # 2008 Mexico by Marlena Spieler, Marita Adair (Contributor), Nick Rider

References

External links

Marlena Spieler's official websiteMarlena Spieler's YouTubeMarlena Spieler's TwitterMarlena Spieler's Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spieler, Marlena 1949 births 2023 deaths American food writers Bon Appétit people British food writers James Beard Foundation Award winners Writers from Sacramento, California