Fred Plotkin

When the subject is Italian food and wine, Fred Plotkin is the expert other experts turn to for definitive information. A finalist for both the James Beard and Julia Child cookbook awards, his previous book, Recipes from Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera, placed first on the "New York Times" listing of the top cookbooks of 1997. Plotkin is the author of Italy for the Gourmet Traveler and five other books. He lives in New York City.