Aliza Green Explained
Aliza Green |
Nationality: | American |
Occupation: | Chef, cookbook writer |
Known For: | Farm-to-table movement |
Spouse: | Don Reiff (deceased) |
Website: | http://www.alizagreen.com/about/ |
Aliza Green is an American chef and writer. In addition to being one of the first women chefs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she is known as a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement.[1] She was one of the first chefs in Philadelphia to deal directly with local farms and utilize locally raised food in her restaurants.[2] She writes as a food columnist and has published more than a dozen books about food.[3]
Career
Aliza Green grew up in Washington, D.C. but was part of an extended family that included people in Israel and Borough Park, Brooklyn, a Hasidic Jewish section of New York City.[4] As a result, she traveled extensively and was exposed to different cultures and foods, even as a child.[4]
A self-taught chef, Green opened her own catering business in 1975. Her first job as a chef was at the restaurant Under the Blue Moon in Philadelphia, PA. She studied briefly in Italy with Marcella Hazan. She then joined Ristorante DiLullo, where she became the executive chef for Joe Dilullo and won the restaurant a four-star rating.[4] She also met her future husband, Don Reiff, the restaurant's architect.[5] At Ristorante DiLullo, Green cultivated connections with farmers, buying from them directly and commissioning them to grow and harvest desired plants and zucchini blossoms.[3]
Green was recruited by Judy Wicks at the White Dog Cafe in 1984.[6] There she developed a regional menu around farm-to-table cooking, focusing on food simplicity and fresh ingredients.[1] [7]
From White Dog, she went to Apropos, developing a menu around Middle Eastern flavors "long before Middle Eastern flavors were trendy".[3] She currently is the chef manager at Baba Olga's Cafe & Supper Club.[2]
Although she lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Green has traveled extensively throughout the world, researching foods and the ingredients used in them. She also leads culinary tours in the Maremma and Umbria regions of Italy.[8] She has written many cookbooks, beginning in 1997 with a collaboration with Georges Perrier to publish recipes from Le Bec-Fin restaurant. Since then, she has generally focused on specific groups of ingredients. Her publications include the successful Field Guide series.[4]
Green has stated that women chefs and restaurant owners are still a minority:
Bibliography
- Book: Perrier. Georges. Green. Aliza. Le Bec-Fin recipes. 1997. Running Press Book Publishers. Philadelphia, PA. 978-0762401703.
- Book: Green. Aliza. The bean bible : a legumaniac's guide to lentils, peas, and every edible bean on the planet!. 2000. Running Press Book Publishers. Philadelphia, PA. 9780762406890.
- Book: Pernot. Guillermo. Green. Aliza. Ceviche! : seafood, salads, and cocktails with a Latino twist. 2001. Running Press. Philadelphia. 978-0762410439.
- Book: Green. Aliza. Beans : more than 200 delicious, wholesome recipes from around the world. 2004. Running Press. Philadelphia. 978-0762419319. registration.
- Book: Green. Aliza. Field guide to produce : how to identify, select and prepare virtually every fruit and vegetable at the market. 2004. Quirk Books. Philadelphia, PA. 978-1931686808.
- Book: Green. Aliza. Field guide to meat : how to identify, select and prepare virtually every meat, poultry and game cut. registration. 2005. Quirk Books. Philadelphia, Pa.. 978-1594740176.
- Book: Green. Aliza. Field guide to herbs & spices : how to identify, select, and use virtually every seasoning at the market. 2006. Quirk Books. Philadelphia. 978-1594740824. registration.
- Book: Green. Aliza. Starting with ingredients. 2006. Running Press Book Publishers. Philadelphia, PA. 978-0762427475.
- Book: Green. Aliza. Field guide to seafood : how to identify, select, and prepare virtually every fish and shellfish at the market. 2007. Quirk Books. Philadelphia. 978-1594741357.
- Book: Green. Aliza. The fishmonger's apprentice : the expert's guide to selecting, preparing, and cooking a world of seafood, taught by the masters. 2010. Quarry Books. Beverly, Mass.. 978-1592536535.
- Book: Green. Aliza. The butcher's apprentice : the expert's guide to selecting, preparing, and cooking a world of meat. 2012. Quayside. Gloucester, Mass. : Hove. 978-1592537761.
- Book: Green. Aliza. Making artisan pasta : how to make a world of handmade noodles, stuffed pasta, dumplings, and more. 2012. Quarry Books. Beverly, Mass.. 978-1592537327.
- Book: Green. Aliza. The soupmaker's kitchen : how to save your scraps, prepare a stock, and craft the perfect pot of soup. 2013. Quarry Books. New York. 978-1592538447.
- Book: Green. Aliza. The magic of spice blends: A guide to the art, science, and lore of combining flavors. 2015. Quarry Books. New York. 9781631590740.
Awards and honors
- Member of Les Dames d'Escoffier International[9]
- 1988, The Philadelphia Inquirer Hall of Fame[10] as one of the top ten most influential people in the city's food industry
- 2001, James Beard Foundation Award, Best Single Subject for Ceviche! : seafood, salads, and cocktails with a Latino twist, with Guillermo Pernot[11] [12]
- 2004, The New York Times, Top cookbooks of the year for Beans[4]
- 2004, Houston Chronicle, Editor's Pick for Field Guide to Produce[10]
- 2012, Cooking Light, Top Cookbooks of the Last 25 Years, for Making artisan pasta[13]
Notes and References
- News: Pacheco. Liz. On the Shoulders of Giants: Four people who kick-started the Philadelphia food movement. 15 June 2016. GRID. May 16, 2012.
- Web site: Churchill. Daphne. Local Food Culture in Philadelphia: A look at a growing movement. Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. April 30, 2014. 15 June 2016.
- News: Melamed. Samantha. Aliza Green: For women chefs, it was easier and harder in the '70s. 15 June 2016. The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 26, 2016.
- Web site: Aliza Green. Max and David's: The story behind the restaurant. December 1, 2007.
- News: Gallagher. Maria. Joe Dilullo Dead At 45 Phila. Restaurant Owner Succumbs To Heart Attack. https://web.archive.org/web/20150912144736/http://articles.philly.com/1994-06-08/news/25832034_1_restaurant-owner-fox-chase-radicchio. dead. September 12, 2015. 16 June 2016. The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 8, 1994.
- News: Mulcahy. Alex. Judy Wicks on Livin' La Vida Local. 16 June 2016. GRID. May 27, 2013.
- News: Henninger. Danya. Teaching the White Dog Cafe some new tricks. 16 June 2016. The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 24, 2015.
- Tomchin. Susan. An Artisan Food Tour of Italy. JW Magazine. 2012. April. 16 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160814040232/http://www.jwmag.org/page.aspx?pid=3304. 14 August 2016. dead. dmy-all.
- Web site: Published Works. Les Dames d'Escoffier International. 15 June 2016.
- Web site: Aliza Green. CookThink. 15 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161013054112/http://www.cookthink.com/author/61/Aliza_Green. 13 October 2016. dead.
- News: McMackin. Peggy Gilbey. "Starting With Ingredients, Quintessential Recipes for the Way We Really Cook" Author, Aliza Green. 16 June 2016. Spiced Peach. July 27, 2012.
- CSCA in the Community. The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts Alumni Newsletter. 2007. 4. 16 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011091515/http://www.cambridgeculinary.com/alumni/newsletters/winter_2007.pdf. 11 October 2016. dead.
- Web site: Best Technique and Equipment Cookbooks. Cooking light. 16 June 2016.