Drew Maresco

Hi, I'm Drew! And before you ask, yes, I am writing my 'about the author.' No, I won't be using the third person because it feels incredibly awkward. So, who am I, and when did I start writing cookbooks? Well, I started baking at a very young age, my grandma would pick me up and plop me on the counter right next to the mixer, and I would "help" her measure ingredients. Looking back, I realize I wasn't helping her at all, but she allowed me to be involved, and little did we know where that would eventually lead. I never stopped baking but eventually found myself doing a lot more cooking, and in 2012 I started a cooking blog to share recipes I was creating; this site is now called BestRecipes.co. That eventually turned into a recipe magazine that I served as the editor in chief. That magazine connected me to the publishing world, and that's when I started writing cookbooks, which pretty much catches you up! But beyond cookbooks, I've had my recipes featured in several magazines; how cool is that?! I'm still feeling the excitement! Now I haven't mentioned this yet, but I am a self-taught cook, never went to culinary school, and that used to make me a little insecure. It wasn't until later that I realized this might be to my advantage. I write recipes for everyday home cooks, like you, and I'm sure going to culinary school would have been a fantastic experience, it would've also complicated my process. How so? Well, chefs can dice an onion, perfectly uniform, in like 5 seconds flat. I can't do that, and I'll guess you can't either! But if I could, can you imagine how much more complicated my recipes would be? I know getting an onion chopped in a few minutes is a win, and that's what normal is. That's what keeps my cooking simple and approachable for everyone! And that has always been and will always be my goal. --This text refers to the paperback edition.