Sheila Lukins facts for kids

Sheila Lukins (November 18, 1942 – August 30, 2009) was a famous American cook and food writer. She was best known for co-writing The Silver Palate series of cookbooks with Julee Rosso. These books, including The New Basics Cookbook, were very popular. They taught many Americans about cooking styles and ingredients from the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. Their bold and flavorful recipes were different from the health-food trends of the 1970s. Together, their books sold more than seven million copies!

Sheila also helped start and owned The Silver Palate, a popular gourmet food shop in New York City. For 23 years, she was the food editor and a writer for Parade magazine. This important job was once held by the famous chef Julia Child.

Early Life and Learning

Sheila Gail Block was born in Philadelphia in 1942. She grew up in Norwalk and Westport, Connecticut. She loved art and studied it at the Tyler School of Art, the School of Visual Arts, and New York University. She earned a special degree in Art Education.

After college, she went to a famous cooking school called Le Cordon Bleu in London, England. At the same time, she worked in graphic design. Her cooking journey continued in France. There, she worked with chefs who had earned Michelin stars, which are like awards for excellent restaurants.

Her Amazing Career

When Sheila and her husband came back to New York City, she started her own catering business called The Other Woman. She focused on exciting Mediterranean and Eastern European flavors. At that time, these tastes were new to many Americans.

In 1977, Julee Rosso hired Sheila for a catering job. Soon after, Sheila and Julee opened their own gourmet food shop in New York City. It was called The Silver Palate and was located on Columbus Avenue and 73rd Street. This shop, along with others like Dean & DeLuca, helped make "carryout cuisine" popular. This meant people could buy fancy, ready-to-eat meals.

In the 1980s, Sheila and Julee, along with Michael McLaughlin, wrote The Silver Palate Cookbook. This cookbook was a huge hit! It sold 250,000 copies in its first year and eventually sold 2.5 million copies. They also wrote The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook and other books. Sheila drew all the pictures for the Silver Palate cookbooks and her own solo cookbooks.

The first cookbook included Sheila's famous recipe, Chicken Marbella. At the time of Sheila's death, Parade magazine said this cookbook was one of the top ten bestselling cookbooks ever! The Silver Palate Cookbooks are known for inspiring many Americans in the 1980s to enjoy cooking as a hobby. They truly changed how people cooked at home.

In 1986, Sheila and Julee took over from Julia Child as food editors for Parade magazine. After 1991, Sheila held the position by herself until 1999.

After working together for 11 years, Sheila and Julee went their separate ways in the early 1990s. The Silver Palate shop, which had been sold to new owners in 1988, closed in 1993. However, sauces and other products with the Silver Palate name are still sold today. During this time, Sheila published her own successful books, including Sheila Lukins' All Round the World Cookbook and Celebrate!. In 2007, she and Julee reunited to publish a new 25th-anniversary edition of The Silver Palate Cookbook. By 2009, Sheila's cookbooks, both alone and with Julee, had sold 7 million copies.

Awards and Recognition

Sheila Lukins received many awards for her work.

• In 1986, her cookbook with Julee Rosso, The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, won a James Beard Award.
• In 1992, The Silver Palate Cookbook was added to the Cookbook Hall of Fame.
• Also in 1992, Sheila was included in Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America.
• In 1995, the Beard Foundation called her "an American food legend."
• In 1998, Sheila's U.S.A. Cookbook was nominated for another Beard Award.

Personal Life

In December 1991, Sheila faced a serious health challenge. She had a cerebral hemorrhage, which is a type of bleeding in the brain. This caused paralysis on most of her left side and almost took her life. She had some lasting effects from this, but she worked hard to recover. She was able to go back to her job at Parade and continue writing books.

Sheila was married for many years to Richard Lukins. They had two daughters, Annabel and Molly. After the Silver Palate shop was sold, Sheila lived and worked from her apartment at The Dakota in New York City. In June 2009, at age 66, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Sheila Lukins passed away on August 30, 2009, at her home in Manhattan, surrounded by her children.

Books

With Julee Rosso

• The Silver Palate Cookbook, 1979 (Named to the Cookbook Hall of Fame in 1992)
• The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, 1984 (Winner of the James Beard award in 1986)
• The New Basics Cookbook, 1989
• Silver Palate Desserts, 1995

By Sheila Lukins

• Sheila Lukins' All Round the World Cookbook, 1994
• USA Cookbook, 1997
• Celebrate!, 2003
• Ten: all the foods we love and ten perfect recipes for each, 2008