Laurie Burrows Grad

Laurie Burrows Grad is a grief blogger, a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author, a television chef, and the Editor-in-Chief of Epicurus.com, where she writes about travel and food. Grad’s passion for food artistry dates back to her childhood and the glamorous parties hosted by her parents. Her father, Abe Burrows, was a Broadway playwright, director and humorist, and theater luminaries, including Cole Porter, often made up the guest list at their New York City home. (Grad’s brother, James Burrows, would grow up to become the co-creator, producer and director of the long-running NBC sitcom Cheers.)

On August 1, 2015 Laurie’s husband, the TV executive Peter Grad, died suddenly. Overwhelmed by the loss of her life partner and soul mate, Laurie began blogging about grief, contributing close to 100 posts as a regular contributor to HuffPost and, now, to ThriveGlobal.

Grad, a former model, is also an longtime activist and fundraiser who, some 26 years ago—to honor the memory of her father—created the annual, star-studded gala, A Night at Sardi’s. She and her husband, Peter, helped raised more than $30 million for the Alzheimer’s Association.

In November 2017, Laurie Burrows Grad was honored by the Global Fund for Widows.