Ruth Reichl began writing about food in 1972, when she published Mmmmm: A Feastiary. As co-owner and cook of the collective restaurant The Swallow from 1974 to 1977, she played a part in the culinary revolution that took place in Berkeley, California. Her career in journalism cemented her reputation as a leading figure in the worlds of food and media, as restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and as Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine for ten years until its closing in 2009. Reichl is the author of several memoirs including Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires. Her new novel, Delicious!, marks her fiction debut.