Hazan, Marcella

Much as Julia Child presented the American home cook with the possibilities and pleasures of real French gastronomy in the 1960s, Marcella Hazan (1924–) in the 1970s introduced Americans to authentic Italian cuisine beyond the stereotypical mid-twentieth-century Italian American fare of spaghetti and meatballs. For forty years, in six bestselling cookbooks and countless cooking classes, Hazan, the “godmother” of Italian cooking in America, championed what she calls “simple, true Italian cooking.” She is even credited with popularizing balsamic vinegar in the United States, an accomplishment she now regrets.