She was most famous as the co-author, with Julee Rosso, of The Silver Palate series of cookbooks, and The New Basics Cookbook, a very popular set of food guides which introduced many Americans to Mediterranean and Eastern European cooking techniques and ingredients and popularized a richer and very boldly seasoned style of cooking to Americans in sharp contrast to the health-food movements of the 1970s.
She was also the co-founder and owner of the popular Silver Palate gourmet shop in New York City and, for 23 years, the food editor and columnist for Parade, a position previously held by Julia Child.
[2] After graduation she attended Le Cordon Bleu in London, England, while working in graphic design.
[1] When she and her husband returned to New York City, she opened a catering business called The Other Woman and specialized in bold Mediterranean and Eastern European flavors, which at the time were unfamiliar to many Americans.
[2][4] In 1977 she and Rosso opened and ran a gourmet food shop at the corner of Columbus Avenue and 73rd Street in New York City called The Silver Palate.
[12][2] Some after-effects lasted for the rest of her life, but she was able to recover sufficiently to resume her position at Parade and to continue to write books.