LEVY, Faye 1951-

PERSONAL: Born May 23, 1951, in Washington, DC; daughter of Louis (a businessman) and Pauline (a secretary; maiden name, Dobry) Kahn; married Yakir Levy (a writer), September 28, 1970. Education: Attended Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1969–70; Tel Aviv University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1973; La Varenne Cooking School, Paris, Grand Diplome, 1977. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, gardening.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—5116 Marmol Dr., Woodland Hills, CA 91364. Agent—Maureen Lasher Agency, 1210 Tellem Dr., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

CAREER: Editorial assistant in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1974–76; La Varenne Cooking School, Paris, France, recipe and cookbook editor, 1976–82; certified cooking teacher and writer, 1982–. Cookbook editor, 1982–84.

MEMBER: International Association of Cooking Professionals, American Institute of Wine and Food, Association of Food Journalists, Southern California Culinary Guild.

AWARDS, HONORS: Faye Levy's Chocolate Sensations named one of the best books of 1986 by Publishers Weekly, and Best Dessert and Baking Book of the Year, International Culinary Association Award, 1987; Best General and Basic Book of the Year designation, International Association of Culinary Professionals, 1987, for Classic Cooking Techniques; second prize in the category of vegetable books, International Association of Culinary Professionals, 1988, for Fresh from France: Vegetable Creations; James Beard Cookbook Award in category of Vegetables, Fruits, and Grains, 1994, for Faye Levy's International Vegetable Cookbook; Tastemaker Award.

WRITINGS:

La Varenne Tour Book, Peanut Butter Publishing (Mercer Island, WA), 1980.

(With Fernand Chambrette) La cuisine du poisson (title means "Fish Cookery"), Flammarion (Paris, France), 1984.

Sefer Hakinuhim: Mivhar Matkonei Tsarfat (title means "The Book of Desserts: The Best Recipes of France"), R. Sirkis (Israel), 1984.

Sefer Haoogot: Mivhar Matkonei Tsarfat (title means "The Book of Cakes: The Best Recipes of France"), R. Sirkis (Israel), 1984.

Aruhot Halaviot: Mivhar Matkonei Tsarfat (title means "Meatless Meals: The Best Recipes of France"), R. Sirkis (Israel), 1985.

Faye Levy's Chocolate Sensations, HP Books (Tucson, AZ), 1986, revised edition published as Faye Levy's Sensational Chocolate, 1992.

Classic Cooking Techniques, Ortho Books (San Francisco, CA), 1986, published as Classic Techniques for Fine Cooking, Cole Group (Santa Rosa, CA), 1995.

Vegetable Creations, Dutton (New York, NY), 1987.

Dinner Inspirations, Dutton (New York, NY), 1989.

Sensational Pasta, HP Books (Tucson, AZ), 1989.

Dessert Sensations, Dutton (New York, NY), 1990.

Faye Levy's International Jewish Cookbook, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Faye Levy's International Chicken Cookbook, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Faye Levy's International Vegetable Cookbook: Over 300 Sensational Recipes from Argentina to Zaire and Artichokes to Zucchini, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Thirty Low-Fat Meals in Thirty Minutes, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Thirty Low-Fat Vegetarian Meals in Thirty Minutes, Warner (New York, NY), 1997.

Low-Fat Jewish Cookbook: 225 Traditional and Contemporary Gourmet Kosher Recipes for Holidays and Everyday, Clarkson Potter (New York, NY), 1997.

The New Casserole, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1997.

1,000 Jewish Recipes, IDG Books (Foster City, CA), 2000.

Jewish Cooking for Dummies, IDG Books (Indianapolis, IN), 2000.

Feast from the Mideast, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor to Basic French Cookery, French Regional Cooking, and The La Varenne Cooking Course. Work represented in anthologies, including The Best of Gourmet and More of the Best from Bon Appetit. Author of "Basics," a column in Bon Appetit, 1982–87; nationally syndicated food columnist, Los Angeles Times Syndicate, 1990–; food columnist, Jerusalem Post, 1990–. Contributor to magazines and newspapers.

SIDELIGHTS: Faye Levy once told CA: "I first went to Israel when I was seventeen on a six-week summer camp program. I fell in love with the land and the people, in more ways than one—it was on that trip that I met my future husband, Yakir Levy. My interest in cooking came about a year later, when Yakir and I decided to get married. My future mother-in-law was not at all happy with her son's choice, because I did not know how to cook. I decided I had better learn, and I did so by reading cookbooks and following the recipes. I was happy with the results and with the fact that a person like me, who had almost no previous knowledge of cooking, could follow a recipe and produce such delicious food.

"Over the next few years I became more and more intrigued with cooking and with cookbooks, and I decided to try to follow a career in this direction. I contacted Ruth Sirkis, the Julia Child of Israel, and asked to work as her assistant. She hired me and I learned how to write recipes from her. Later my husband and I decided to move to the United States and to visit Europe en route. Since it was clear that many of the best cookbook writers had studied in Paris, I thought it would be a fascinating thing to do. I enrolled in a six-week course at a new Parisian cooking school called La Varenne and soon after worked in exchange for the remaining courses in the program and earned the Grand Diplome of the first graduating class. I took extensive notes on everything the chefs said and how they cooked. On the basis of these notebooks, I became the school's recipe editor and then the cookbook editor. I authored the school's first cookbook and had a major part in researching and writing the school's award-winning cookbooks, French Regional Cooking, The La Varenne Cooking Course, and Basic French Cookery."

Levy has become one of the best known Jewish cookbook authors as well as an acknowledged expert on French and other regional cuisine. She has learned to simplify recipes and to prepare traditional Jewish holiday fare in ways that reduce fat and calories. Levy imparts her knowledge in her cookbooks as well as in cooking demonstrations across the nation; her schedule is daunting by any standards. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called Levy "indefatigable" and noted that her International Vegetable Cookbook is "well worth perusing, and then cooking from." Another Publishers Weekly critic described Faye Levy's International Chicken Cookbook as "the final word on poultry," citing its 300 recipes for cooking chicken. In her Los Angeles Daily News review of 1,000 Jewish Recipes, Natalie Haughton wrote: "The 625-page book is a treasure trove of kosher recipes running the gamut from those for Jewish holidays to ideas to enliven everyday and special occasion fare for family and friends." Haughton also found the work "an invaluable reference source for rituals and traditions." John Soeder in Restaurant Hospitality praised Faye Levy's International Jewish Cookbook as "a global smorgasbord of treats" and "a welcome guide to a cuisine that is rich in tradition and possibilities."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Burns, Jim, Women Chefs, Aris Books (Berkeley, CA), 1987.

Sims-Bell, Barbara, Foodwork, Advocacy Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 1993.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 1997, Mark Knoblauch, review of The Low-Fat Jewish Cookbook: 225 Traditional and Contemporary Kosher Recipes for Holiday and Everyday, p. 800.

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), September 27, 2000, Natalie Haughton, "New Year, New Creations Celebrate Rosh Hashana with Creative Variations on Traditional Fare," p. L10.

Detroit News, November 8, 2001, Kate Lawson, "Fay Levy Keeps It Simple: Food Authority Tells the Secret of Jewish Cooking," p. 10.

Library Journal, March 15, 1997, Judith C. Sutton, review of Low-Fat Jewish Cookbook, p. 84.

Los Angeles Herald Examiner, June 18, 1987.

New York Times, November 11, 1987.

Publishers Weekly, September 21, 1990, Molly McQuade, review of Dessert Sensations Fresh from France, p. 72; August 31, 1992, review of Faye Levy's International Chicken Cookbook, p. 73; October 4, 1993, review of Faye Levy's International Vegetable Cookbook, p. 74; January 6, 1997, review of The Low-Fat Jewish Cookbook, p. 69.

Restaurant Hospitality, February, 1992, John Soeder, review of Fay Levy's International Jewish Cookbook, p. 38.