Acknowledgments

The inspiration for this book emanated from Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us
Human, written by Professor Richard Wrangham of Harvard University. I also wish to
thank Professor Gordon Shepherd of Yale University for recommending me to the pub-
lisher, Columbia University Press. There are many who helped guide me through the pub-
lication process, including Jennifer Crewe, Associate Provost and Director at Columbia
University Press, and her staff, including Monique Briones, Lisa Hamm, Milenda Lee,
Marielle Poss, Meredith Howard, Justine Evans, Brian Smith, and Patrick Fitzgerald, as
well as Ben Kolstad, Editorial Services Manager, and Sherry Goldbecker at Cenveo Pub-
lishing Services. I am also grateful for the work of Katherine Langenberg and Sabin Orr,
who provided photographs for some of the illustrations, as well as many people who
helped provide permission for use of other illustrations including Jeanne Brewster, Nadine
Sobusa, Justin Hobson, Laurie Lounsberry McFadden, Dan Sousa, and Ian Matzen.
Help with some of the science, writing, and reviewing was generously provided by Pia
Sorensen, Adriana Fabbri, Nicoletta Pellegrini, Ali Bouzari, and Rebecca Dowgiert. In the
early stages of writing this book I received very helpful guidance from Zick Rubin, James
Levine, and Danielle Svetcov. I would also like to thank Christopher Kimball and Jack
Bishop for providing me the opportunity to coauthor my first two books on cooking sci-
ence published by America’s Test Kitchen. I owe a special thank you to Professor Walter
Willett for giving me the opportunity to teach a course on food science and technology
at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, which allowed me to gather much of
the information for this book, as well as to Professor Carol Russell who made it possible
for me to teach at Framingham State University following my retirement. Thanks also to
xvi | ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Harold McGee for catalyzing the public’s interest in cooking science. Finally I would like
to acknowledge the friendship, inspiration, and mutual interest in food, wine, and cooking
provided by our close friends Ruth and Bill Benz, Margaret and Rick Perez, Sandy and
Jerry Peters, Sue and Ron Daniels, and Darice and Bob Wareham. Thank you everyone for
helping to make this book possible.
Cook, Taste, Learn