Judith Choate

Judith Choate is a writer, chef and pioneer in the promotion of American food. Known for her flair with food preparation and presentation, Judie owned and operated a retail bakery, food shop and catering business, MOM’S MEALS, INC. (doing business as MOM and MOM, TOO) in New York City until 1985. She has also worked in the field of menu and restaurant development as a consultant to companies ranging from Heinz and national restaurant chains to small airlines and health food shops. Additionally, Judie has worked as a project and recipe developer and food stylist for companies as diverse as Perdue Foods, Inc. and McCann’s Irish Oatmeal. Judie has authored or co-authored over 100 books, among them The Gift Giver’s Cookbook, first published by Simon & Schuster in 1970, Hot! (Crown), Great American Pie Book (Simon & Schuster, named one of the best cookbooks of the year by People Magazine) and The Ubiquitous Shrimp (Little Brown 1994). She was Dean Fearing’s collaborator on the two Mansion on Turtle Creek cookbooks as well as writer/editor for Arlene Feltman Sailhac’s DeGustibus at Macy’s cookbook series. Among her many other efforts are Rebecca Woods’ The Splendid Grain (William Morrow) which won both the IACP and James Beard awards for best cookbook of the year; Charlie Palmer’s Great American Food (Random House, reissued, Ten Speed Press), Charlie Palmer’s Casual Cooking (William Morrow) and The Art of Aureole (Ten Speed Press); The French Culinary Institute’s Healthy French Cooking (Rodale); Raji Cuisine (Harper Collins); The Tribeca Grill Cookbook (Villard Books); Mastering Simplicity with Chef Christian Delouvrier (John Wiley); Cooking With Spirit with Don Pintabona (Random House); New American Kitchen Classics featuring Second Day Dishes with Chef David Burke (Random House), Cooking at Molyvos with Chef Jim Botsacos (Broadway), Twenty Five Years at DeGustibus at Macy’s with Arlene Feltman Sailhac (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), and The Kellogg’s Cookbook (Bulfinch); Welcome to Michael’s with Michael McCarty (Bulfinch); A Year in Chocolate with Chef Jacques Torres (Stewart, Tabori & Chang): Dining at Delmonico’s (Stewart, Tabori & Chang). The most recent book under her own name is HOMEMADE (Clarkson Potter). Fundamentals of Classic French Cooking for The French Culinary Institute (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) was winner of the 2008 James Beard Foundation award for best professional cookbook, In 2009, Fundamentals of Classic French Pastry for The French Culinary Institute (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) was the winner of the 2010 James Beard award for professional cookbook. 2010 brought The Reader’s Cookbook for Red Rock Press. 2011 will present Fundamentals of Bread Baking for The French Culinary Institute, Milk and Cookies for Chef Tina Casaceli (Chronicle Books), and The Best Little Book of Preserves and Pickles for Red Rock Press. She is also at work on projects of her own with her husband, photographer Steve Pool. In addition, through her company, Custom Cuisine, Judie works as a consultant in product development, most specifically creating lines (both recipes and actual production) of restaurant quality specialty food products and entrées for commercial distribution as well as in marketing, restaurant development, and culinary presentations. In this capacity, she has been consultant to such internationally-known chefs as Charlie Trotter, David Burke, and Charlie Palmer as well as to companies such as Heinz, Starbucks and Costco.