About Priscilla
I’m a culinary educator, entrepreneur and flavor maven who calls Connecticut home. Helping home cooks and professionals build their skills and confidence is behind everything that I do. I am coauthor of On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals and On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals. Our best-selling books are used in culinary schools worldwide. I teach hands at Boston University and in the Hospitality Management department at CT State Gateway in New Haven, Connecticut.
My company, All About Food, provides marketing services and recipe development to food and housewares manufacturers. I bring a “keep it simple” mindset to the projects we manage. Clients such as Edgecraft Corporation, Emile Henry, and Tuscan Women Cook seek us out for the kind of recipes, newsletter and manuals that empower their users.
A consulting project for American Almond Products Company kindled my interest in almonds. It led to my tenure as president of the company and then decades as its culinary and marketing director. My deep, hands-on knowledge of almonds serves as the lens through which I see the complexities of our global food system. I frequently share my expertise about almonds, nuts, and confectionery with consumer and trade groups such as the American Institute of Baking and the Retail Bakers Association. Most recently, I worked with the Almond Board of California in developing the Asian baking market.
For more than a decade, I explored the intersection of flavor and food service in the pages of Flavor and the Menu Magazine. You can see me at work on Martha Stewart’s Martha Bakes. I have also written for Cooks Magazine, Food and Wine Magazine and the Gourmet Retailer.
My passion for food prepared by hand from locally grown ingredients was the seed that gave birth to Restaurant du Village in Chester, Connecticut–my first foray into the food service industry– and it continues to motivate me every day.
A graduate of Brown University, I am committed to empowering the under-resourced to realize their potential through education and entrepreneurship in the food industry. I support the mission of the Jacques Pépin Foundation with editing services and videos. I am a member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
About this Website
When Charlie van Over and I opened Restaurant du Village in Chester, Connecticut in 1979, we were pursuing our dream of capturing the spirit of France in a country restaurant. And for 11 wild and delicious years, we lived the dream. That experience launched my career and gave us a delightful place to call home. I’ve been very fortunate. From my start in the restaurant business, to becoming a baker, cookbook author and food consultant, exciting food experiences have been front and center for much of my life.
We still live in Chester, a magical place on the banks of the Connecticut River about two hours from Boston and two hours from Manhattan. We keep a small garden and shop at our farmer’s market in season. We’re only a few minutes from Long Island Sound, so fresh fish and shellfish is still plentiful as are wild mushrooms I forage. As a former restaurant chef, I still think about mise en place when making dinner. (We talk about what is in the “inventory” when planning a meal.)
I believe that:
- There is nothing better for one’s sense of well being than cooking and eating food grown close to home.
Wherever that may be. - Anyone can learn to feel comfortable in the kitchen.
- Friends and a good loaf of bread make the meal.
A little wine helps too.
On this web site I share my ongoing quest to live a flavorful life.
In the Kitchen you’ll find recipes or my tips on ingredients, equipment and cooking techniques. There are tricks I’ve learned in the professional kitchen that I use every day.
In Print includes links to my books and some articles I’ve written.
Almonds are a special favorite of mine. And the lens through which I view the complex world of small farms, agribusiness and the global food system.
Bread Baking is the place to visit to learn more about baking bread at home.
Work with Me describes the services I offer.
My culinary curiosity has opened doors for me. And the people I’ve met through food are some of the most generous, funny, engaging and crazy people imaginable.
Want to come along?
Priscilla
Priscilla’s Professional Biography.
Many thanks to my team:
Web design + development by dreamscapes design group.
Home page photo by Tom Hopkins Studio.
Art Direction by Michelle Paulson.
Logo design by Peter Good.
The painting of the rooster and his flock in our kitchen is by artist, friend and master gardener David Brown.
