Marlena Spieler is increasingly considered one of this century’s finest food writers the author of many award winning and distinguished cookbooks. Bon viveur, wit, and humourist, her lively style of writing is much loved and her original recipes are distinctive and innovative.

On one bright spring day in 2011, Marlena – a sunny optimist with Marilyn-platinum hair and ubiquitous red lipstick – was hit by a car while walking in a crosswalk in San Francisco. The head trauma she sustained caused damage to the nerve connecting her olfactory bulb – the part of the brain that interprets smell and flavor – and she could no longer enjoy food. Her forthcoming memoir chronicles her struggles and ultimate victory of becoming Marlena again.