The Harvard Common Press

Martha Sears is a registered nurse, certified childbirth educator, breastfeeding consultant, and labor support expert. She and her husband, Dr. William Sears, are America’s top baby-care experts and the best-selling authors of thirty books. They live in Capistrano Beach, California.

Hiroko Shimbo is an esteemed cooking instructor, lecturer, author, and authority on Japanese cooking and other Asian cuisines.  She is the owner and operator of Hiroko’s Kitchen Cooking School, has written for Appellation and Saveur magazines, and has been nominated for the IACP Cookbook Award. A native of Japan, Hiroko currently lives in New York City.

Shelley Sikora is co-owner of the Bobby McGee’s restaurant chain. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Penny Simkin, P.T., is a physical therapist and a nationally renowned educator, counselor, author, lecturer, and authority on childbirth. She is co-author of Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn and serves on the editorial staff of the journal Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care. Simkin is co-founder of Pacific Association for Labor Support and of DONA International (formerly Doulas of North America), and a doula trainer. She resides in Seattle, Washington.

Liz Yeh Singh left a very successful career as a TV reporter, anchor, and producer to enter the world of food. She is a freelance recipe tester who has worked for Martha Stewart Living and Redbook. Singh lives in New York City.

A. Cort Sinnes is the author of more than over twenty books on grilling and gardening. He is the executive director of the National Home Gardening Club and the editor of the club’s magazine, Gardening How-To, as well as a food columnist for National Gardening Magazine and Fishing World. He lives in Calistoga, California.

Fred Thompson is a food writer, a food stylist, and a culinary developer who studied at the Culinary Institute of America. He is the author of several cookbooks and writes “The Weekend Gourmet” column for the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also writes for the magazines Fine Cooking, Wine & Spirits, and Every Day with Rachael Ray and is a popular cooking school teacher. He divides his time between Raleigh and New York City.

Linda Todd, M.P.H., coordinates perinatal education at Fairview Riverside Medical Center in Minneapolis and leads workshops for the International Childbirth Education Association. She is also author of the best-selling Labor and Birth: A Guide for You.

Jeff Bradley, the author of five books, has written for numerous newspapers and magazines and taught writing at Harvard University for eight years. This is the first book he has written with his sons, Truman and Walker. Truman Bradley, who lives in Denver, Colorado, writes as well as competes in swing dance events across the nation. Walker Bradley is a student at the University of Colorado in Boulder. A man of the outdoors, he enjoys scuba diving and backpacking. In helping to choose his sons’ names, Jeff Bradley was mindful that one day they will select his nursing home.

Norman Van Aken is Florida’s most celebrated chef, a James Beard Award-winning author, and the owner of Norman’s restaurant in Coral Gables.

James Villas is the acclaimed author of many cookbooks and books on food and drink, including a memoir. He was the food and wine editor of Town & Country for 27 years and has written hundreds of articles for magazines including Gourmet and Bon Appétit. He lives in New York City and East Hampton, New York.

Dede Wilson is the author of several cookbooks. She is a contributing editor to Bon Appétit and is a repeat guest on Today and The View.  Wilson is the host of Seasonings with Dede Wilson, a public television cooking show, and she has also appeared on CNN, Food Network, HGTV, and the Discovery Channel.  She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Victoria Wise was the first chef at Chez Panisse, is the author of numerous cookbooks, and has written for Food & Wine, New Woman, Williams-Sonoma Taste magazine, and the Los Angeles Times syndicate. She lives in Oakland, California.

Clifford A. Wright is the author of nine cookbooks, including A Mediterranean Feast, winner of the James Beard Cookbook of the Year Award. He writes frequently for Saveur, Fine Cooking, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine. He lived for many years in Boston, has traveled around the world studying foods and cultures, and now lives in Santa Monica, California.