Ettlinger, Steve

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Ettlinger, Steve

(Stephen Ettlinger)

PERSONAL:

Married Gutsy Lange; children: two. Education: Graduated from Tufts University. Hobbies and other interests: Old home renovation, cooking, sailing, and African drumming.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, editor, publisher; Ettlinger Editorial Projects, president; Previously worked at GEO magazine, ‘Day in the Life’ series, as associate picture editor; taught at The New School, The School of Visual Arts, and the Fordham University Graduate Program in Public Communication, all in New York, NY; Magnum Photos, Paris, France, assistant bureau chief; and as an assistant chef. Makes guest appearances on television programs, including The Today Show, CBS This Morning, ABC Nightline, Good Morning America, Fox News, Montel, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and The Food Network.

MEMBER:

International Association of Culinary Professionals, American Book Producers Association (past president).

WRITINGS:

(With Tom Philbin) The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores (also see below), Macmillan (New York, NY), 1988, updated edition, 1998, reprinted, Running Press (Philadelphia, PA), 2003.

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Garden Centers (except the Plants) (also see below), research by Robert S. Coleman, illustrated by Robert Strimban, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

The Kitchenware Book, research consultant, Irena Chalmers, illustrated by Robert Strimban, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

(With Colleen Davis Gardephe) Don't Pick Up the Baby or You'll Spoil the Child and Other Old Wives' Tales about Pregnancy and Parenting, foreword by Niels Lauersen, illustrated by Karen Smidth, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 1993.

(With Caroline Ajootian and Tom Gannon) The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Marine Supply Stores, illustrated by Robert Strimban, Hearst Marine Books (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Melanie Falick) The Restaurant Lover's Companion: A Handbook for Deciphering the Mysteries of Ethnic Menus, Addison-Wesley Publishing (Reading, MA), 1995.

(With Marty Nachel) Beer for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 1996.

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores and Garden Centers (except the Plants), Courage Books (Philadelphia, PA), 2002.

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats, Hudson Street Press (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, including Huffington Post, New York Daily News, and the Los Angeles Times.

SIDELIGHTS:

New York-based Steve Ettlinger is a writer, editor, and publisher who has been working with books since the mid-1980s. A graduate of Tufts University, he has written for a diverse assortment of periodicals, including the Huffington Post, New York Daily News, and the Los Angeles Times. He has also worked in various fields, serving as the associate picture editor at GEO magazine, for the ‘Day in the Life’ series; teaching at The New School, The School of Visual Arts, and the Fordham University Graduate Program in Public Communication, all in New York City; working as assistant bureau chief for Magnum Photos, in Paris, France; and even putting in time as an assistant chef. In addition, Ettlinger is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), as well as the American Book Producers Association (ABPA), for which he formerly served as president. Ettlinger's varied background makes him something of a jack-of-all-trades, and his diverse interests, which include everything from old home renovation, to cooking, sailing, and African drumming, enable him to bring a fresh perspective both to the books he writes and those he edits and/or publishes. It also makes him a welcome guest on various television networks and news programs, and he has appeared on such shows as The Today Show, CBS This Morning, ABC Nightline, Good Morning America, Fox News, Montel, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and The Food Network.

Ettlinger has written several books on an array of topics, but his fascination with all things culinary, no matter whether they are highbrow or lowbrow, shines through his work. The Kitchenware Book is a reference text designed to help any fan of kitchen equipment identify the tools that will best meet their needs, or to just satisfy their curiosity regarding what a particular gadget might do. The book contains numerous illustrations and 700 entries, almost guaranteeing that it will inform everyone who reads it about a new device or tool. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted that the organization of the book is not particularly intuitive, however, and concluded that ‘like a mysterious fork, the book can be frustrating to use, despite its obvious assets."

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats, though hardly a discussion of a culinary delicacy, is an intriguing, entertaining volume Ettlinger was inspired to write in honor of his children, and his own concern as a parent regarding the ingredients in his children's favorite treats. One of his major concerns was the number of ingredients that went into such a small and seemingly simple snack as a Twinkie—thirty-nine. He researched the product, and his shared results are startling. Anne Underwood, in a review for Newsweek, noted that ‘it can be unsettling to learn just how closely the basic ingredients in processed foods resemble industrial materials.’ Rachel M. Minkin, in a review for Library Journal, called Ettlinger's effort ‘an insightful look into the processed food industry."

Complete guides to a particular niche make up a considerable portion of Ettlinger's book list. In The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Garden Centers (except the Plants), he breaks down the items generally found on offer at the local garden shop, dividing his reference into two parts, one for actual garden supplies, and one for tools and equipment. He defines all the terms and tools, explains what they do, how to use them, and even how to determine a logical price to pay once the reader reaches the actual garden center. Molly McQuade, reviewing the book for Publishers Weekly, noted that ‘when it's cheaper to concoct, say, a soil-less mix than to buy it, the author isn't bashful about telling how."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1992, Barbara Jacobs, review of The Kitchenware Book, p. 18; June 1, 1993, review of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores, p. 1880.

Esquire, April, 2007, ‘Random Knowledge: Twinkies!,’ p. 56.

Library Journal, March 1, 1989, Ellis Mount, review of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores, p. 46; March 1, 1989, Patty Miller, review of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores, p. 66; September 1, 1990, Peter C. Leonard, review of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Garden Centers (except the Plants), p. 212; December, 1992, Judith C. Sutton, review of The Kitchenware Book, p. 176; February 1, 2007, Rachel M. Minkin, review of Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats, p. 90.

Maclean's, April 30, 2007, ‘‘Daddy, What's Polysorbate 60?’: A Writer Investigating the Iconic Twinkie Learns Far More than He Wants to Swallow,’ p. 64.

Newsweek, March 5, 2007, Anne Underwood, ‘Mmmm, Tasty Chemicals; a New Book ‘deconstructs’ a Twinkie and Analyzes All 39 Ingredients. Industrial-strength Junk Food, Anyone?,’ p. 50.

Publishers Weekly, September 21, 1990, Molly McQuade, review of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Garden Centers (except the Plants), p. 73; September 28, 1992, review of The Kitchenware Book, p. 74.

Reference & Research Book News, December, 1991, review of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Garden Centers (except the Plants), p. 36.

SciTech Book News, June 2007, review of Twinkie, Deconstructed.

Whole Earth Review, spring, 1989, Dick Fugett, review of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores.

Whole Life Times, April 2007, Jenny Rough, review of Twinkie, Deconstructed, p. 56.