Anya von Bremzen

Anya von Bremzen
Anya von Bremzen at the 2023 National Book Festival
Born	Russian SFSR, USSR
Pen name	Anya von Bremzen
Occupation	writer
Nationality	American
Genre	food writing
Website
twitter.com/vonbremzen

Anya von Bremzen is a Russian-born American culinary writer. Born in 1963 in Soviet Russia, she and her mother moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1974 as stateless Jewish refugees. ^[1] She originally trained as a concert pianist at the Juilliard School, but a hand injury forced her to change career directions. Fluent in Italian, she translated an Italian cookbook to English, and then wrote a cookbook of her own. ^[2]

Von Bremzen also writes about foodways, culinary history and customs, and memoirs. Her sixth book, published in 2013, is a memoir about life, food, and rationing in the U.S.S.R. Her eighth book, published in 2023, is about the history and myths of famous dishes tied to Paris, Naples, Tokyo, Seville, Oaxaca, and Istanbul, and what a national dish tells us about a nation's values, traditions, and understanding of itself. ^{[3] [4]}

Her work has received three James Beard Foundation Award:

• 1991: Book award winner in the International category for Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook. ^[5]

• 1998: Book award winner in the Food of The Americas category for Fiesta!: A Celebration of Latin Hospitality. ^[6]

• 2010: Journalism award winner in the Magazine Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs category for her article "Soul of a City" in Saveur magazine. ^[7]

Bibliography

• von Bremzen, Anya (1990). Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook. ISBN   0894807536.

• von Bremzen, Anya (1995). Terrific Pacific Cookbook. ISBN   9781563058684.

• von Bremzen, Anya (1997). Fiesta!: A Celebration of Latin Hospitality. ISBN   9780385475266.

• von Bremzen, Anya (2003). The Greatest Dishes: Around the World in 80 Recipes. ISBN   9780060197315.

• von Bremzen, Anya (2005). The New Spanish Table. ISBN   9780761135555.

• von Bremzen, Anya (2013). Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing. ISBN   9780307886828.

• von Bremzen, Anya (2017). Paladares: Recipes Inspired by the Private Restaurants of Cuba. ISBN   9781683351450.

• von Bremzen, Anya (2023). National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home. ISBN   9780735223165.

See also

• Food writing
• Foodways
• Russian cuisine
• Soviet cuisine

References

1. Wleeler, Sara (13 September 2013). "Beyond Borscht". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
2. Kemper, Benjamin. "This 1990s Cooking Bible is as Relevant as Ever". Saveur. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
3. Dumitrescu, Irina (15 June 2023). "How Do Certain Foods Become National Dishes?". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
4. Saxena, Jaya (7 August 2023). "The Unacknowledged, Grueling Labor Behind the Mexican Tortilla". Eater. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
5. Anderson, Lisa (6 May 1991). "James' Best". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
6. Swanson, Stevenson (13 May 1998). "Winners All". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
7. "2010 James Beard Foundation Award Winners Announced" (PDF). 3 May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.