Julia Turshen facts for kids

Julia Turshen, born in 1985, is an American author who writes cookbooks. She is also a food writer, a cook, and someone who works to make sure everyone has fair access to good food. She gives talks about food and cooking at home. She has written four books by herself and helped write many others. She has worked with famous people like Gwyneth Paltrow. Her book In Bibi's Kitchen, which she wrote with Hawa Hassan in 2020, won a special award in 2022. It was named the Best International Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation.

Julia also hosts a podcast called Keep Calm and Cook On. She writes a monthly article for Food & Wine magazine. She has also written for other well-known magazines and newspapers. Julia helps guide the Kitchen Cabinet Advisory Board at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. She also started Equity At The Table (EATT). This is a website that helps people find talented food professionals who are women, people of color, or non-binary. She often cooks meals for Citizen Action of New York, a group that works for social change. Because of this, she was asked to help start their food team in 2016.

Early Life and Learning

Julia Turshen grew up in New York with her brother. Her family was Jewish and had an open-minded way of life. Her mother was an art director, and her father was a graphic designer. Julia loved cookbooks from a young age. When she was 13, she even opened a small restaurant in her family's home.

Her grandparents came to the United States as refugees. They owned a bread bakery in Brooklyn. Julia's mother grew up helping in this bakery. Even though Julia never met her grandparents, she feels that her love for cooking comes from them. Her parents did not cook much. So, Julia taught herself by reading books, watching Julia Child, and learning from the Great Chefs show on the Discovery Channel. Before going to college, Julia worked at a bakery called Kneaded Bread Bakery. This bakery was in Port Chester, New York.

Julia did not go to a special cooking school. Instead, she went to Barnard College. There, she studied English. While in college, she worked as an intern for Food & Wine magazine. She also interned for a cookbook author and a TV show producer. She started working part-time for the producer while still in college.

Julia's Career in Food

After college, Julia got a job helping a writer. This writer was creating a book for a PBS travel show about food. The job was in Spain. When the writer left the project, Julia was given the chance to write the book herself. After that, she helped write or worked on about ten cookbooks. She also worked as a private chef for wealthy people to earn more money.

In 2016, Julia released her first cookbook that she wrote all by herself. It was called Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs. This book was chosen as one of the best cookbooks of that year by The New York Times. It was also listed as a top cookbook by NPR and the Boston Globe.

In 2017, Julia released another book called Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved. She gave all the money from this book to the ACLU. The book talked about how food can be a part of helping others and making changes. It was named Eater's Best Cookbook of 2017. The San Francisco Chronicle also picked it as one of their best cookbooks. The Village Voice included it on their list of top food books for people who care about social issues.

In 2018, Julia's book Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers was nominated for an award. It was a Goodreads Choice Award in the Best Food & Cookbooks group.

In 2019, Julia's podcast, Keep Calm and Cook On, was nominated for an award. This was from the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Talks and Appearances

Julia Turshen has given many talks and led discussions. She has spoken at places like the Museum of Food & Drink in Brooklyn. She has also spoken at the University of Michigan and Dillard University in New Orleans. Other places include The New York Times Food Festival and the National Museum of American History.

She has also been featured on Google Talks. You can hear her on radio shows from NPR, KCRW, and PRX.

Awards and Recognition

• Eater's Best Cookbook of 2017
• 2022 James Beard award for best international cookbook

Personal Life

Julia Turshen is married to Grace Bonney. Grace is the founder of Design Sponge, a popular website. Since 2014, Julia and Grace have lived in Ulster County, New York. Before that, they lived in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Books by Julia Turshen

Books Written by Herself

• Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers (2018)
• Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved (2017)
• Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs (2016)
• Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food (2021)

Books She Helped Write

• The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking from Around the World by Jessamyn Rodriguez and Julia Turshen (2015)
• Elizabeth Street Cafe by Julia Turshen, Larry McGuire, and Tom Moorman (2017)
• It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen
• Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food by Jody Williams with Julia Turshen
• In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries That Touch the Indian Ocean, with Hawa Hassan (2020)