Cynthia D. Bertelsen

Cynthia D. Bertelsen is a writer and photographer. Author of the culinary history blog ‘Gherkins & Tomatoes’, she won the Julia Child Independent Scholar grant awarded by the International Association of Culinary Professionals in 2011, to study changing food habits in France. She lived and worked for over fifteen years in various nutrition-related endeavors in Paraguay, Haiti, Honduras, Morocco, and Burkina Faso. After earning her BA degree in Latin American Studies from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, she joined the Peace Corps, assigned to a duty post in Fram, Paraguay. Cynthia served as associate editor for Bacopa Literary Review for issues released in 2017 and 2018. Her publishing credentials include several books - Mushroom: A Global History; "A Hastiness of Cooks"; In the Shadow of Ravens: A Novel; Wisdom Soaked in Palm Oil: Journeying Through the Food and Flavors of Africa; Meatballs & Lefse: Recipes and memories from a Scandinavian-American Farming Life; Stoves & Suitcases: Searching for Home in the World’s Kitchens; Take a Goose or a Duck: Eclectic Essays on English Cookery Through the Ages; Mangoes & Roosters: Stories and Tales of Haiti; and Dispatches from a Kitchen Table: Exploring Life, Love, and Lots of Other Stuff, as well as numerous articles and newspaper columns on cooking and food history. “A Hastiness of Cooks” won the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2020 for Best in the World in Culinary History. Meatballs & Lefse placed as a Finalist in the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, longlisted for Memoir magazine’s 2022 Book Awards, and a 2022 President’s medal from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. Stoves & Suitcases won Best in the World in Food Writing from Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2022 and a President’s medal from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association 2022. Take a Goose or a Duck and Mangoes & Roosters both won a President’s medal from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association in 2023. Take a Goose or a Duck also won Best in the World from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for Writing about Cookbook History. One of Cynthia's most enjoyable pleasures is cooking, using her vast collection of cookbooks and food literature. Of course, she still doesn't own enough bookshelves. Her columns for the Cedar Key Beacon in Cedar Key, Florida covered culinary history when few writers and academics paid attention to the subject. She holds a B.A. degree in Latin American Studies, an M.A in History, an M.S. in Human Nutrition and Foods, and an M.L.I.S in Library Science. Read more of her writing on her blog, “Cynthia D. Bertelsen: Gherkins & Tomatoes … Since 2008.”