Marialisa Calta
Freelance writer, cookbook author

I am a freelance writer based in Vermont, and have written widely about food and travel for such publications as The New York Times, Gourmet, Smithsonian Magazine, and others. I write a weekly column, “Food,” which is syndicated to more than 500 small newspapers by United Media LINK? I am also the co-author of two cookbooks, the recipe-developer for two (with NBC personality Al Roker) and the sole author of one.

As the working mother of two, my areas of interest include family meals, which was the subject of my last book, Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the Modern American Family, LINK published by Perigee (Penguin) in 2005. For this book, I traveled around the country interviewing working parents about the whys and hows of getting food on the table. In an on-line review posted May 23, 2005, Publishers' Weekly called it a "down-to-earth handbook for weeknight family dinners.... Snobbery-free and realistic....a beginner-accessible cookbook that will encourage even the most time-crunched mother."

This website is designed to give you a sampling of my published work, reviews of my books, a bit about my background , and – just for fun – a few of my favorite recipes . Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions .

Thank you for stopping here. Welcome!