About the Author

Peggy Knickerbocker has lived in two of the greatest food cities in the world, Paris and San Francisco, and loves to give dinner parties wherever she is.

She is a free-lance food and travel author, a long-time contributing editor to Saveur, and has received a James Beard Foundation nomination for her article “Old Stoves of North Beach”. As Contributing Editor to the former Gourmet magazine, she posted to their food blog and wrote on a regular basis as the San Francisco scout. She has written for Food and Wine, House and Garden, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

Peggy is a popular cooking teacher: Ramekins in Sonoma, Draegers in Menlo Park, Rancho la Puerta in Mexico, and Cavallo Point in Marin County. She offers private cooking lessons, consultations, and is a writing coach and cooking coach. She has been Sofia Coppola’s private cooking teacher, and has spoken in food writing classes at the University of California and at a course on food and political science in Paris. She has also reviewed books for the food journal Gastronomica.

In 2005, Simple Soirees, Seasonal Menus for Sensational Dinner Parties (Stewart, Tabori and Chang) won the James Beard Award, was listed as one of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and was nominated from a list of 400 cookbooks for the International Association of Culinary Professionals annual cookbook award. Her latest book, The Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook, (Chronicle Books, 2006), has gone into multiple printings.

Peggy's previously published books include Olive Oil From Tree to Table, (Chronicle Books, 1997), The Rose Pistola Cookbook with chef Reed Hearon (Broadway Books, 1999), and Champagne, The Spirit of Celebration (Chronicle Books, 1995).

Her work has been reviewed enthusiastically in magazines including Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet, and newspapers throughout the country. Olive Oil, From Tree to Table has sold over 50,000 copies to date and was nominated for best single subject cookbook by IACP in 1997.

Until recently, Peggy sat on the board of the Chez Panisse Foundation, was Vice President of the board of CUESA of the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, and was curator of the Olive Oil Pavillion at Slow Food Nation. Peggy is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a judge for the James Beard Foundation Journaiism Awards, and advisor and contributor to www.EatNation.com, a new food website.

 © 2005 Peggy Knickerbocker. All Rights Reserved. Photos by Christopher Hirsheimer. Design by Elsa.