Gary Allen

Gary Allen cooks, eats, dreams, talks, and writes—mostly—about food; Some, even, that are NOT concerned, primarily, with things he can stuff in his gullet.

After writing 'The Resource Guide for Food Writers' (1999), he edited 'Remarkable Service' for The Culinary Institute of America (2001). He's contributed entries to 'Culinary Biographies' (2006), 'Scribner's Encyclopedia of Food and Culture' (2003); 'The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America' (2004); 'The Concise Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America' (2007); 'They Eat That?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Weird and Exotic Food from Around the World' (2012); 'The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink (2013); 'Savoring Gotham' and 'The Oxford Companion to Sweets' (both 2015); The Oxford Companion to Cheese' (2016); and 'We Eat What?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Bizarre and Strange Foods in the United States' (2018).

'The Herbalist in the Kitchen' appeared in 2007—the same year he co-edited 'The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food and Drink Industries.'

In 2008, he contributed articles to 'Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Super Bowl: An Encyclopedia' (2008), and co-edited—with Ken Albala—an anthology about cannibalism ('Human Cuisine').

Reaktion Press published: 'Herbs: A Global History,' (2012), and self-published 'How to Serve Man: On Cannibalism, Sex, Sacrifice, and the Nature of Eating'.

Reaktion Press published: 'Sausage: A Global History' (2015); and 'Can It!: The Perils and Pleasures of Preserving Food' (2016).

He doesn't consider himself a scholar (in the traditional sense), but 'Sauces Reconsidered: Aprés Escoffier' (2019) was listed among the 'Best Academic Books of 2019 by The American Library Association.

He's even written occasional stories—of a nostalgic/humorous nature—for others' anthologies: 'The Anxious Groom' (2004), 'Prima Materia Volume 4' (2005), 'Fear and Loathing of Boca Raton' (2007), and 'Let Them Eat Crepes' (2010); 'Zal!—An Oral History of Zalman Yanofsky'; and 'Stunning Poetry: Volume 3' (both 2022).

He has self-published over a dozen other books, in paper and Kindle.

He sometimes writes for magazines, e-zines, and symposia, including that of the Association for the Study of Food and Society, for which he was vice president, webmaster, and newsletter editor. He was food history editor at LeitesCulinaria. He's published, for over 20 years, an electronic newsletter about online resources for food writers.

In his spare time, he teaches food writing—plus various courses on food history and culture—at Empire State College (part of the State University of New York). You'll find more online writing at 'A Quiet Little Table in the Corner', His blog, 'Just Served,' his website: 'On the Table', and his substack page: 'In Other Words'.