Twenty years ago I started The Amateur Gourmet as a way to capture my culinary education. I grew up on Long Island and then Boca Raton, FL in a household where nobody cooked. Don’t get me wrong: we lovvvved food and eating, we just always went out to restaurants or brought home takeout.

After college, I accidentally went to law school (long story) and somehow found my way into the kitchen. The smells, the sounds, and most importantly the tastes woke something up in me and I became obsessed. My friends told me I should start a blog and I said, “What’s a blog?” (This was in 2004.) And thus The Amateur Gourmet was born.

Since then, I’ve written three books — The Amateur Gourmet, Secrets of the Best Chefs, and Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway (co-written with Tony-nominee Gideon Glick) — as well as articles for outlets like The Washington Post and The L.A. Times. I’ve written for television (ABC’s The Real O’Neals) and several screenplays.

In summer of 2023, my husband Craig and I moved back to Brooklyn after twelve years in L.A. We currently live in Boerum Hill with our son aka our dog Winston.

In March of 2024, a big thing happened: I sold my first novel, FOOD PERSON, to Knopf! It’ll arrive on shelves summer of 2025.

The best place to find me these days is on Substack and on Instagram.

Give me a follow while you’re there!

Happy cooking!

Adam D. Roberts