Bite-sized Bio
Maria Speck is the award-winning author of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, a
New York Times notable book, and winner of the Julia Child Award. Her new
book is Simply Ancient Grains (Ten Speed Press).
Short Bio
Award-winning cookbook author Maria Speck is coming out with a new book this
April, SIMPLY ANCIENT GRAINS, (Ten Speed Press).
Maria’s first cookbook, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals (also by Ten Speed),
won multiple awards, among them the coveted Julia Child Award and the Health
and Special Diet award from the International Association of Culinary
Professionals (IACP), as well as a Gourmand Award. Both the New York
Times and the Washington Post named Ancient Grains a top cookbook,
and Cooking Light magazine included it as one of 100 best cookbooks of the past
25 years.
Maria will be featured in the upcoming documentary, “The Grain Divide”,
starring Dan Barber, Chad Robertson, and Michael Pollan among others.
She has been interviewed on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Jamie Oliver’s website,
The Kojo Nnamdi Show, The Leonard Lopate Show (WNYC), Wisconsin Public
Radio, the Boston Globe, Epicurious.com, and TakePart.com. Her hometown of
Cambridge, MA has recognized her work with an honorable mention as a Food
Hero.
Raised in Greece and Germany, Maria has a lifelong passion for whole grains. She
is a veteran journalist and food writer, and has contributed to Gourmet,
Saveur, and Gastronomica. For more visit http://www.MariaSpeck.com.
Extended Bio
Award-winning cookbook author Maria Speck is coming out with a new book,
this April, SIMPLY ANCIENT GRAINS—Fresh and Flavorful Whole Grain
Recipe for Living Well by Ten Speed Press. In this collection of recipes, most of
which are gluten-free, she makes cooking with ancient grains faster, more
intuitive, and easier than ever.
Maria’s first cookbook, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals (Ten Speed Press), won
numerous accolades: It received the coveted Julia Child Award and the Health
and Special Diet award from the International Association of Culinary
Professionals (IACP), as well as a Gourmand Award. Both the New York
Times and the Washington Post selected Ancient Grains for Modern Meals as a
top cookbook, and Cooking Light magazine named it as one of 100 best
cookbooks of the past 25 years.
Maria’s lifelong passion for grains will be featured in the upcoming documentary,
“The Grain Divide”, starring Dan Barber, Chad Robertson, and Michael Pollan
among others. Maria has been interviewed on Martha Stewart Living Radio,
Jamie Oliver’s website, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, The Leonard Lopate Show
(WNYC), Wisconsin Public Radio, the Boston Globe, Epicurious.com, and
TakePart.com.
She has lectured on ancient grains in the Jacques Pépin Lecture Series at Boston
University, the Harvard Food Literacy Project, and the Cambridge School of
Culinary Arts, where she has taught in the professional program. She has cooked
and taught classes at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Rancho La Puerta,
among numerous other venues. She was also recognized with an honorable
mention as a Food Hero in her hometown of Cambridge, MA, for a “lasting and
significant commitment to the fair, healthy, and sustainable food culture” in the
city.
Maria has been smitten by the subtle flavors and rich textures of whole grains
since her childhood. She grew up in Greece and Germany before moving to the
US as a young adult—this unusual heritage is at the center of her cooking, writing,
and teaching. Maria’s recipes are inspired by the ease and appeal of
Mediterranean cuisine and the centuries-old traditions of preparing whole grain
foods in Northern Europe. She combines her vast knowledge about cooking and
baking with whole grains with a keen understanding of how to transform these
ancient staples into quick and modern foods for our time-strapped lives.
In her food writing, Maria combines more than two decades of journalistic
research, editing and reporting with her lifelong passion for food. She started her
career at Germany’s leading news agency Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA), and
she came to the US as a Knight Fellow at Stanford University. Since then, she has
worked as a freelance writer for US and German magazines. In the US, Maria has
contributed to Gourmet magazine, Saveur, Eating Well, Gastronomica, the
Vegetarian Times and Cooking Club, the publication of the Cooking Club of
America among others. In Germany, Maria’s stories have been published in the
country’s leading magazines and newspapers, including the news and lifestyle
publication STERN, the online section of the renowned news magazine SPIEGEL
and BRIGITTE, the country’s prestigious women’s magazine.
Maria is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals
(IACP), Les Dames d’Escoffier, Chefs Collaborative, The Bread Bakers Guild of
America, The Culinary Guild of New England, and Slow Food USA.