Jody A. Barnard

Julia Turshen is an accomplished American food writer and cookbook author, born in 1985. Her career spans writing solo books, collaborating on numerous others, and advocating for food equity. She has a notable presence in the culinary world, hosting a podcast, writing a regular column for Food & Wine, and contributing to prominent publications like The New York Times and Vogue. Turshen is also a founder of Equity At The Table (EATT), a digital resource for underrepresented individuals in the food industry, and serves on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's Kitchen Cabinet Advisory Board.

Her early life was influenced by a family background in the arts and a deep connection to baking, stemming from her maternal grandparents' bakery. Despite not attending culinary school, she honed her skills through self-teaching and early work experiences. Turshen's professional journey began after college, assisting a writer on a PBS food travel show, which led to her own book-writing opportunities. She has since released several successful solo cookbooks, including "Small Victories" and "Feed the Resistance," the latter of which supported the ACLU. Her work has garnered critical acclaim and awards, including a James Beard Foundation award for "In Bibi's Kitchen."

Julia Turshen has established herself as a significant voice in contemporary food writing, with a portfolio that includes four solo cookbooks and contributions to many others. Her work often explores themes of home cooking, recipes, and culinary inspiration, as seen in titles like "Small Victories" and "Now & Again." Beyond her books, Turshen actively engages with the food community through her podcast, "Keep Calm and Cook On," and a monthly column in Food & Wine magazine. Her writing has also appeared in prestigious publications such as The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue, and Bon Appétit. A core aspect of her professional identity is her commitment to food equity, demonstrated through her founding of Equity At The Table (EATT), a directory supporting diverse professionals in the food sector, and her advisory role at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Born in 1985, Julia Turshen grew up in a secular Jewish household in New York, with parents working in art and graphic design. Her early fascination with cookbooks and cooking was profoundly shaped by her maternal grandparents, who were refugees and owned a bakery in Brooklyn. Although she never met them, Turshen felt a strong connection to this culinary heritage. Lacking extensive home cooking from her parents, she became self-taught, drawing knowledge from cookbooks, Julia Child, and television programs. Before attending college, she gained practical experience working at Kneaded Bread Bakery. Turshen pursued her higher education at Barnard College, majoring in English, and during this period, she interned in the food media industry, working for Food & Wine magazine, a cookbook author, and a television producer.

Following her college education, Turshen's career in food writing took off when she took on the writing of a companion book for a PBS travel series after the original writer departed. This led to a series of collaborations on approximately ten cookbooks, alongside her work as a private chef. Her debut solo cookbook, "Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs," published in 2016, received significant recognition, being named among the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times, NPR, and The Boston Globe. Her 2017 book, "Feed the Resistance," focused on food and activism and was lauded by Eater and the San Francisco Chronicle. Turshen's collaborative work "In Bibi's Kitchen" earned a 2022 James Beard Foundation award for Best International Cookbook.