We learned the sad news late yesterday evening that prolific cookbook author Marlena Spieler has died at the age of 74. She is the author of over 70 cookbooks published worldwide, including Grilled Cheese and Macaroni & Cheese, and has written for Bon Appétit, Saveur, The San Francisco Chronicle, and other publications. Marlena was also a three-time James Beard nominee and twice won the Guild of Food Writers Award as the best radio food broadcaster of the year. Born in Sacramento, California, she most recently resided in Hampshire, England.

Marlena suffered a loss of her senses of smell and taste following an automobile accident in 2011, which left her feeling disoriented and depressed. Thankfully she recovered both senses which were vital to her work as a food writer. You can learn more about her experience with this issue via a New York Times opinion piece penned in 2014, in which she wrote that her life has revolved around “cooking, tasting and sharing stories about food”.