Aliza Green, the Philadelphia-based pioneering chef and culinary tour leader, is the author of fifteen books including Making Artisan Pasta, a Cooking Light Top 100 Cookbook of the Last 25 Years. The Butcher’s Apprentice, is a step-by-step guide with hundreds of clear and informative photographs by renowned food photographer, Steve Legato. The Fishmonger’s Apprentice is her guide to fish and seafood and the people who make it all happen. The Soupmaker’s Kitchen was named one of the Washington Post top cookbooks of 2013.
The Magic of Spice Blends is a guide to using spices to make cooking come alive. Field Guide to Meat earned top praises from Food & Wine and Real Simple. The perennially popular Field Guide to Produce was highly regarded by the New York Times, Newsday, Men’s Health, and Shape. Field Guide to Herbs & Spices and Field Guide to Seafood are musts for culinary students, food writers and editors.
Her masterly Starting with Ingredients: Quintessential Recipes for the Way We Really Cook was published to outstanding reviews. Starting with Ingredients: Baking followed its success and features uncommon international baking recipes. ¡Ceviche!: Seafood, Salads, and Cocktails With a Latino Twist, which she co-authored with chef Guillermo Pernot, won a James Beard Award for “Best Single Subject Cookbook”.
Her first book, The Bean Bible: A Legumaniac’s Guide to Lentils, Peas, and Every Edible Bean on the Planet!, was described by Booklist as a “comprehensive guide to the world of beans and bean cookery [that] belongs in every cookbook collection.” When the book was released in a new edition as Beans: More than 200 Delicious, Wholesome Recipes from Around the World, it was named one of the New York Times top cookbooks of the year. Green co-authored Georges Perrier, Le Bec-Fin Recipes, a collection of recipes from Philadelphia’s landmark restaurant. Her newest book project is Aruba's Papiamento Cuisine, to be published in late 2023.
As a pioneer woman chef who helped make the city of Philadelphia a dining destination, Green’s career took off in the 1980’s as Executive Chef at Ristorante DiLullo, where her achievements landed her a prestigious four-star rating. In 1988, The Philadelphia Inquirer inducted Chef Green into its Culinary Hall of Fame, citing her as one of the ten most influential people in the city’s food industry for her uncompromising efforts in working with local farmers at DiLullo, Apropos Bistro and the White Dog Café. Most recently, Green served as Executive Chef at Material Culture, where she created bold, international fare with a sustainable, seasonal approach for catered events and pop-up dinners.
Green wrote popular food columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Cooking Light. Her writing appeared in The Washington Post, Fine Cooking, Prevention, IACP Food Forum, Philadelphia Magazine, Nuvo, Clean Eating, and Jewish Women International. She was interviewed in her own kitchen for Philly Food, on WHYY Public Television and for Friday Arts on the same station, which featured The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. She worked as a sought-after television food stylist for QVC Television and did the food styling for all her books. She is a Past-President of the Philadelphia Chapter, Les Dames d’Escoffier International and former international board member, and two-time Chair of its bi-annual Symposium.
Green cites a childhood filled with travel and living abroad as the inspiration for her culinary pursuits. She has been reading about, writing about, and preparing food for most of her life. Her dream is to keep cooking, traveling, and always learning while sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with others through special programs, writing cookbooks, and leading international culinary tours.
A Creative, Innovative Food Consultant Green’s culinary specialties include sustainable foods, local/regional cooking, seasonal produce, herbs & spices, fish & seafood, kosher cuisine, Italian cuisine, fresh pasta, gelato, international baking, Mediterranean cuisine, soup making, healthy cooking, and legumes.
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