Deborah Madison

Cookbook Author, Teacher, and Vegetarian Cooking Expert

Early Years

Deborah Madison was a student working in the kitchen of the Zen Center in San Francisco when she was asked to help create "Greens", the Zen Center's vegetarian restaurant at Fort Mason . Under Deborah Madison's direction, Greens Restaurant soon was recognized as the premier gourmet vegetarian restaurant in the U.S., and Madison's subsequent vegetarian cookbooks have set the standard for contemporary vegetarian cooking.

Her knowledge comes from her experiences in many different gardens and kitchens, including two years with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. A year in Rome gave Madison a European perspective on growing, shopping, and food preparation, which she brought back with her to California, shortly after which her first cookbook was introduced.

Current Projects

While not a vegetarian, Deborah Madison prefers the delicious and healthful, plant-food based way of eating, and has excitedly watched the acceptance of once unusual and unfamiliar ingredients by today's more adventurous and health conscious consumers. Madison knows her fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. What is constant about the cuisine, writing and teaching of Deborah Madison is the limitless range of ingredients and methods of preparation that find their way into her repertoire. Inspired recipes and menus help readers and students develop their own creativity in the kitchen.

Inspired by her husband's comment when he sampled various recipes containing tofu, "This Can't Be Tofu!" is a simple, inspired collection of recipes showcasing the versatility of this remarkable food. In addition to her books, Deborah Madison has contributed regularly to numerous culinary magazines, including Food & Wine, Saveur, Fine Cooking, Gourmet, and Cooking Light.

Recognition

The Greens Cookbook (Bantam, 1987) and Greens Restaurant represented a revolution in sophisticated and inventive vegetarian cooking. Deborah Madison's second book, The Savory Way (Bantam, 1990), is a collection of personal recipes that enable anyone to enjoy the style and sensibility of Greens Restaurant in their own kitchen. This book of superb vegetarian cuisine won the Julia Child Cookbook of the Year Award. In America: The Vegetarian Table (Chronicle, 1996), Madison explores the heritage of the American kitchen to bring readers the best of vegetarian cooking, American style.

Six years in the making, Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone (Broadway Books, 1997) immediately became the most comprehensive chronicle of vegetarian cooking ever written. Winner of a James Beard Award and the Julia Child Cookbook of the Year Award, Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone has already become a classic. Her latest book, This Can't Be Tofu! (Broadway Books, 2000), has also been nominated for a James Beard Award. Deborah Madison is widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts in Vegetarian cuisine. Noted fellow cookbook authors and chefs such as Marion Cunningham, Mollie Katzen, Martha Rose Shulman, Michael Romano, and Alice Waters have said that Deborah Madison's writing is as wonderful as her recipes. Whether you learn from her writing, her teaching, or her recipes, Deborah Madison's way of cooking is definitely for everyone.