Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Dooley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m a writer who loves to cook. 45 years ago, when my husband and I moved to Minneapolis, I began work for an Advertising firm working on food accounts. I wrote promotional cookbooks for large food companies and eventually built up my portfolio to engage commercial publishers. I started with small, single-subject books and eventually, by partnering with Lucia Watson, of Lucia’s Restaurant, published SAVORING THE SEASON’S OF THE NORTHERN HEARTLAND. That book, edited by the legendary editor, Judith Jones, was a James Beard Award nominee and Lucia has been nominated four times for Best Restaurant. I went on to write over 13 cookbooks, one of which, co-authored with Chef Sean Sherman, won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook — Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Very few people can live off cookbooks — I also write for the Strib, a number of local and national magazines, and have taught English, composition, and cooking at the junior high school, community college, university, and graduate school level. I often cater … and have been a communications director and a wilderness adventure guide … a jack of all trades, a master of none.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work closely with restaurant chefs to get their stories on the page and into print. My gift is in channeling other peoples expertise in books while making sure their stories are told in their voice … I enjoy researching a variety of topics related to the science, chemistry, history, and lore of cooking.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
There are always shifts in food — trends come and go — but I ignore those and write about how food connects us to ourselves, our families, our communities, our farmers, our producers, and the planet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bethdooleyskitchen.com
- Instagram: @bethdooleyskitchen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethdooleyskitchen/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-dooley-abb30475/
