Jane and Michael Stern
Encyclopedia
Jane Grossman Stern and Michael Stern (both born 1946) are American writers who specialize in books about travel, food, and popular culture. They are best known for their "Roadfood" books, website, and magazine columns, in which they seek out restaurants serving American regional specialties.
Jane Grossman grew up in New York City
, where she attended the Walden School
and received a BFA in graphic design at Pratt Institute
in Brooklyn. Michael Stern grew up in Winnetka, Illinois
, and graduated from the University of Michigan
in 1968. They met as graduate students in art at Yale University
and their first date, at Pepe's Pizza
in New Haven, had a food focus. The couple married in 1970. The following year, Jane earned an MFA in painting from Yale and Michael changed schools and earned an MFA from Columbia University
in film. Neither found work in their fields of study. After a short stint of producing documentaries for WNBC, a teaching job at Hunter College
and another at Wesleyan University
they began work on the book that eventually became the first Roadfood. The book was conceived as a book on "truck-stop dining", funded with an advance from a publisher. The Sterns set out in their car to travel through the United States and eat up to 12 meals daily at diners and local cafes. The resulting first edition of Roadfood was published in 1977; the most recent edition was released in 2011.
In addition to their food writing, the Sterns have written numerous books on American popular culture, including The New York Times bestselling Elvis World (1987) and The Encyclopaedia of Bad Taste (1990). In all, they have written over 30 books. They were staff writers for Gourmet
magazine for 18 years, have written for The New Yorker
, The Atlantic Monthly
, and are now contributing editors at Saveur
. They are also regular guests on American Public Media
's public radio program, The Splendid Table
with host, Lynne Rossetto Kasper
. They have won numerous awards, including James Beard awards, and were inducted into Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America in 1992.
In 2003, Jane Stern published Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT, a memoir in which she described suffering from severe clinical depression
when she was in her early fifties and overcame her depression by training and working as an Emergency Medical Technician
in Connecticut. In 2005 the book was made into a television movie
, Ambulance Girl
, for which actress Kathy Bates
was nominated for an Emmy Award
. The Sterns wrote a joint memoir, Two for the Road: Our Love Affair With American Food, in 2006.
The couple divorced in 2008. Jane Stern now lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut
, and Michael Stern lives in nearby Bethel
. They still travel and write as a team in spite of the divorce. In 2011 they published The Lexicon of Real American Food and Jane Stern published a book on her little known career as a tarot card reader.
Jane Grossman grew up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she attended the Walden School
Walden School (New York City)
__notoc__Walden School was a private day school in Manhattan, New York City that operated from 1914 until 1988, when it merged with the New Lincoln School; the merged school closed in 1991. Walden was known as an innovator in progressive education. The Walden School was founded in 1914 by Margaret...
and received a BFA in graphic design at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in Brooklyn. Michael Stern grew up in Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka is an affluent North Shore village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Winnetka was featured on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and "one of the best places to live" by CNN Money in 2011...
, and graduated from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1968. They met as graduate students in art at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and their first date, at Pepe's Pizza
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, known locally as Pepe's, is a popular pizza restaurant in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut at 163 Wooster Street. Opened in 1925, it is one of the oldest and best known pizzerias in the United States.-Frank Pepe:Pepe's was founded in 1925 by...
in New Haven, had a food focus. The couple married in 1970. The following year, Jane earned an MFA in painting from Yale and Michael changed schools and earned an MFA from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in film. Neither found work in their fields of study. After a short stint of producing documentaries for WNBC, a teaching job at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
and another at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
they began work on the book that eventually became the first Roadfood. The book was conceived as a book on "truck-stop dining", funded with an advance from a publisher. The Sterns set out in their car to travel through the United States and eat up to 12 meals daily at diners and local cafes. The resulting first edition of Roadfood was published in 1977; the most recent edition was released in 2011.
In addition to their food writing, the Sterns have written numerous books on American popular culture, including The New York Times bestselling Elvis World (1987) and The Encyclopaedia of Bad Taste (1990). In all, they have written over 30 books. They were staff writers for Gourmet
Gourmet (magazine)
Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941, Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale....
magazine for 18 years, have written for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, and are now contributing editors at Saveur
Saveur
Saveur is a gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that specializes in essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews, who was also the editor-in-chief from 1996 to 2001...
. They are also regular guests on American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
's public radio program, The Splendid Table
The Splendid Table
The Splendid Table is a weekly radio program about food hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. It is produced and distributed by American Public Media and airs weekends nationwide on public radio stations. It provides listeners with information on food preparation, appreciation, and culture...
with host, Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Lynne Rossetto Kasper is an award-winning American food writer and radio journalist. She is the host of the American Public Media program The Splendid Table, whose targeted audience is "people who love to eat." The weekly program features a series of interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, and wine...
. They have won numerous awards, including James Beard awards, and were inducted into Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America in 1992.
In 2003, Jane Stern published Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT, a memoir in which she described suffering from severe clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
when she was in her early fifties and overcame her depression by training and working as an Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
in Connecticut. In 2005 the book was made into a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, Ambulance Girl
Ambulance Girl
Ambulance Girl is a 2005 made for television movie. It premiered in the United States on September 12, 2005 on the Lifetime network. The film stars Kathy Bates and Robin Thomas....
, for which actress Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. The Sterns wrote a joint memoir, Two for the Road: Our Love Affair With American Food, in 2006.
The couple divorced in 2008. Jane Stern now lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough, is defined by the U.S...
, and Michael Stern lives in nearby Bethel
Bethel, Connecticut
Bethel is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, about sixty miles from New York City. Its population was 18,584 at the 2010 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
. They still travel and write as a team in spite of the divorce. In 2011 they published The Lexicon of Real American Food and Jane Stern published a book on her little known career as a tarot card reader.