Edible Pursuit: Why We Cook 5

After accidentally burning down her parents’ Brooklyn kitchen at age twelve, this best-selling cookbook writer did not cook again until she became a parent. She immersed herself in cooking, baking, and, later, writing about food, expanding her affinity for French cooking and baking and even scoring an apprenticeship with Julia Child. 

1. Amanda Hesser
2. Melissa Clark
3. Dorie Greenspan

The answer is Dorie Greenspan. She's also a columnist for The New York Times Magazine and has written 13 cookbooks.