Joanna Pruess
Encyclopedia
Joanna Pruess is a food and travel writer and a consultant to the food industry. She is the author of nine cookbooks including Seduced by Bacon
and most recently Griswold & WagnerWare Cast-Iron Cookbook.
, received a master's degree
in English from Stanford University
, and a certificate of graduate studies in French literature
and arts from the Sorbonne
. She was the director of the Cookingstudio, a school that she founded that held classes in a number of New Jersey branches of the Kings Supermarket
chain, from 1982 to 1987. Her parents are Harriet Rubens of Los Angeles and the late Gerald Rubens.
She became a widow before marrying Bob Lape
, a restaurant critic at Crain's New York Business and host of "Bob Lape's Dining Diary" (a review broadcast on WCBS-AM in Manhattan), in 2004. Mr. Lape knew about Ms. Pruess's supermarket cooking schools and reviewed her first cookbook in 1988, before meeting Pruess. They met again in January 2003, at the memorial service for Lape's wife and again months later when a female friend of Lape's suggested that he come along on a double date. "He was skeptical when the friend suggested that the woman in question was 'very funny'", but when name was Joanna Pruess was mentioned Mr. Lape said, "Great!" adding: "I thought she was a fascinating woman. I had wanted to see her, but had not gotten around to it. The invitation galvanized me."
The couple resides in the Kingsbridge
section of the Bronx, in New York City
.
) is linked to the Atkins diet and South Beach diet
regimens, which "gave dieters permission to indulge in fatty foods". "People are craving comfort, people are craving flavor, they're craving style," Pruess said. She's also noted that, "You need so little of it to add so much flavor." She suggests substituting bacon drippings for the oil or butter in the basic directions for popping corn. "Bacon is far more than a food. It is a happy state of mind. It excites people to the point where some aficionados liken it to illicit pleasures," she wrote.
Seduced by Bacon
Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore about America's Favorite Indulgence is a cookbook about bacon written by Joanna Pruess with her husband Bob Lape...
and most recently Griswold & WagnerWare Cast-Iron Cookbook.
Personal life
Pruess graduated from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in English from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and a certificate of graduate studies in French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
and arts from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. She was the director of the Cookingstudio, a school that she founded that held classes in a number of New Jersey branches of the Kings Supermarket
Kings Super Markets
Kings Super Markets is a supermarket chain headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, with 24 upscale grocery stores in northern New Jersey and one in New York. Founded in 1936, Kings was bought by UK retailer Marks & Spencer in 1988 and later sold to a US investor group consisting of Angelo, Gordon...
chain, from 1982 to 1987. Her parents are Harriet Rubens of Los Angeles and the late Gerald Rubens.
She became a widow before marrying Bob Lape
Bob Lape
Bob Lape is an American broadcast journalist, writer, restaurant reviewer, and food critic.- Career :...
, a restaurant critic at Crain's New York Business and host of "Bob Lape's Dining Diary" (a review broadcast on WCBS-AM in Manhattan), in 2004. Mr. Lape knew about Ms. Pruess's supermarket cooking schools and reviewed her first cookbook in 1988, before meeting Pruess. They met again in January 2003, at the memorial service for Lape's wife and again months later when a female friend of Lape's suggested that he come along on a double date. "He was skeptical when the friend suggested that the woman in question was 'very funny'", but when name was Joanna Pruess was mentioned Mr. Lape said, "Great!" adding: "I thought she was a fascinating woman. I had wanted to see her, but had not gotten around to it. The invitation galvanized me."
The couple resides in the Kingsbridge
Kingsbridge
Kingsbridge is a market town and popular tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of about 5,800. It is situated at the northern end of the Kingsbridge Estuary, which is a textbook example of a ria and extends to the sea six miles south of the town.-History:The...
section of the Bronx, 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...
.
Bacon
On the subject of bacon, Pruess contends that its popularity (bacon maniaBacon mania
Bacon mania refers to passionate bacon enthusiasm in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Especially fervent in the United States, the enthusiasm has been described as forming a "Bacon Nation"...
) is linked to the Atkins diet and South Beach diet
South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet is a diet plan designed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon as an alternative to low-fat approaches such as the Ornish Diet and the Pritikin Diet advocated by the American Heart Association in the 1980s. Although the original purpose of the diet was to...
regimens, which "gave dieters permission to indulge in fatty foods". "People are craving comfort, people are craving flavor, they're craving style," Pruess said. She's also noted that, "You need so little of it to add so much flavor." She suggests substituting bacon drippings for the oil or butter in the basic directions for popping corn. "Bacon is far more than a food. It is a happy state of mind. It excites people to the point where some aficionados liken it to illicit pleasures," she wrote.