Gil Marks is a food writer and historian who has published five cookbooks on the subject of Jewish food

Jewish cuisine

Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...

, and was the founding editor of Kosher Gourmet magazine.

Education

After graduating from high school at Talmudical Academy of Baltimore

Talmudical Academy of Baltimore

The Talmudical Academy of Baltimore ,otherwise known as T.A., is a middle-of-the-road Orthodox Jewish K-12 school founded in 1917...

, Marks studied at Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...

, and graduated with an M.A. in Jewish History, M.S.W. in Social Work, and rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary , or Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University, located in Washington Heights, New York. It is named after Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who died the year it was founded, 1896...

, a Yeshiva University affiliate.

Published works

Marks was the founding editor of Kosher Gourmet magazine, in 1986, which ran for about six years before closing in the early 1990s.

The following books written by Marks have been published::

• The World of Jewish Cooking: More Than 500 Traditional Recipes from Alsace to Yemen (Simon & Schuster, 1996)
• The World of Jewish Entertaining: Menus and Recipes for the Sabbath, Holidays, and Other Family Celebrations (Simon & Schuster, 1998)
• The World Of Jewish Desserts: More Than 400 Delectable Recipes from Jewish Com munities (Simon & Schuster, 2000)
• Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World (Wiley, 2004)
• Encyclopedia of Jewish Food (Wiley, 2010)

Marks was also among the international team of contributors to Meals in Science and Practice: Interdisciplinary Research and Business Applications (Woodhead Publishing, 2009).

Awards

Olive Trees and Honey is a 2005 James Beard Foundation Award

James Beard Foundation Award

The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Held on the first weekend in May, the Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the...

 winner and a 2006 IACP Cookbook

International Association of Culinary Professionals

The International Association of Culinary Professionals is a United States based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage....

 Award finalist.

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food earned Marks a spot on the Forward 50 for 2010, a list of fifty American Jews

American Jews

American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...

 "who have made a significant impact on the Jewish story in the past year," in the newly created "Food contributors" category. The book was also nominated for the 2011 James Beard Foundation Award

James Beard Foundation Award

The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Held on the first weekend in May, the Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the...

 for "Reference and Scholarship" and was recognized by Library Journal

Library Journal

Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...

as the best reference book of 2010 in the Food category.