'Tenth Muse' Recounts an American Food Revolution

By Bonny Wolf

Published November 18, 2007 at 5:00 AM PST

A French gourmet once called food the tenth muse, right up there with poetry, music and dance. Long-time Knopf editor Judith Jones followed that muse to help change American home cooking.

Jones's new memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, is the story of how she helped spark a food revolution.

As Americans prepare to give thanks on the upcoming holiday, we also should give thanks to Jones for some of the pleasure we get in cooking Thanksgiving meals.

Bonny Wolf

NPR commentator Bonny Wolf grew up in Minnesota and has worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in New Jersey and Texas. She taught journalism at Texas A&M University where she encouraged her student, Lyle Lovett, to give up music and get a real job. Wolf gives better advice about cooking and eating, and contributes her monthly food essay to NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday. She is also a contributing editor to "Kitchen Window," NPR's Web-only, weekly food column.

See stories by Bonny Wolf