Biography
Michael Krondl is a food writer, and artist. He is the the author of Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert, a volume devoted to the pleasures of sweet foods from around the world. His previous book was The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice, a history of the pivotal roles Venice, Lisbon and Amsterdam played not only in transforming the tastes of peoples around the globe, but changing the world itself. He is also the author of Around the American Table: Treasured Recipes and Food Traditions from the American Cookery Collections of The New York Public Library. The long title pretty well describes the book which is a popular account of the history of American food. The book draws extensively on the spectacular collection of cookbooks in the stacks of The New York Public Library for source material. The Great Little Pumpkin Cookbook is a collection of some fifty recipes for those obsessed with those adorable rotund gourds (well, technically, they’re not gourds, but that’s a long story). An award- winning cooking instructor, food writer, and former chef, he has also contributed to Gastronomica, Marie Claire, Family Circle, Cultural History of Food: The Renaissance, and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America among many other publications. He lives in New York City.
Industry Expertise (2)
Writing and Editing
Food and Beverages
Areas of Expertise (5)
The Uses of Dessert
How Spices Transformed the World
The Invention of Italian Cuisine
Italian Cooking in the Renaissance
How the French Invented Cuisine
Accomplishments (3)
Awarded best introductory class in New York by New York Magazine (professional)
Awarded best introductory class in New York by New York Magazine for teaching “Cooking 101” at the New School.
Author (professional)
Published The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice
Author (professional)
Published Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert
Education (2)
George Brown College: Honours Certificate in Advanced Food Preparation, Professional Chef Program, Cullinary Arts 1979
A professional, one year program in the culinary arts.
The Cooper Union: BFA, Fine Art 1984
Affiliations (3)
- Astor Center
- City University of New York
- New York Culinary Historians
Links (3)
Event Appearances (4)
Title
Princess Cruise Lines Scholarship at Sea Program Princess Cruise Lines
Title
Lecture on the “Uses of Dessert.” San Francisco’s Exploratorium
2010-12-01
Title
Lecture on the history of the spice trade. Mariners’ Museum (Newport News, Virginia)
2010-04-10
Title
Lecture on the history of Thanksgiving. New York City College of Technology
2009-11-08
Sample Talks (1)
The Uses of Dessert
A talk that explains how food and culture interact to change politics, economics and the way we live.
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Panelist
- Author Appearance
Social