Wild Women in the Kitchen 101

Not Your Typical Betty Crocker Cookbook

Feminism meets cooking in this addition to the Wild Woman series, pairing recipes by famous female chefs Lynett Rohrer and Nicole Alper with food trivia, stories, and quotes by women.

So you think a woman’s place is in the kitchen. With Betty Drapers and “make me a sandwich” mantras, it’s easy to forget that women have been cooking up a storm for quite some time. Catherine de’Medici was the Johnny Appleseed of Italian food. Nancy Hart shot a Royalist soldier for barging in and interrupting dinner. Turns out, these women really can take the heat. Maybe it’s best to stay out of their kitchen.

Unconventional females and unconditionally good food. Part cookbook, and part women’s history, Wild Women in the Kitchen features 101 recipes to complement the culinary contributions of famous females. With starter recipes curated specifically to these tough cookies, this book replaces female stereotypes with empowering, historical context. Inside, learn about Cleopatra's orgiastic oysters and:

• Break bread with Golda Meir
• Serve cucumber sandwiches in Natalie Barney’s Parisian salon
• Bring over Canard a l’orange like Catherine de’Medici

If you’re in need of a feminist cookbook, and enjoyed reads like The Little House Cookbook, Women's Libation!, The Little Women Cookbook, or A Woman's Place; then you’ll savor Wild Women in the Kitchen.

Lynette Rohrer Shirk is an accomplished chef and cookbook author. She has authored nine books, served as the corporate pastry chef for Williams-Sonoma, and worked in kitchens of some of the best restaurants in the country. Lynette got her first culinary experience in Columbus, Ohio making pizza while attending Ohio State University. She graduated in 1989 with a degree in Classics, moved to San Francisco to attend the California Culinary Academy, and worked in the pastry department at the well-known restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Lynette is a native of Warren, Ohio.

Nicole Alper is an award-winning journalist with a 20-year career as a travel and food writer. Her work has been published in more than 100 national magazines, including Gourmet. She is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, certified chef/baker, published cookbook author, and has had the honor of both cooking for and interviewing the late Julia Child.