MOOSE, Debbie 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born November 18, 1956, in Charlotte, NC; daughter of Everette P. (a trucking company manager) and Juanita (a homemaker) Moose; married Robert Vatz (a computer systems analyst), August 23, 1981. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., 1979.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Raleigh, NC. Agent—Carla Glasser, Betsy Nolan Literary Agency, 224 W. 29th St., New York, NY 10001.

CAREER:

Salisbury Post, Salisbury, NC, copy editor and news and feature writer, 1979-83; News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, worked as copy editor, feature writer, editor of home and garden section and food section, and author of monthly column "Sunday Dinner," between 1983 and 1998; freelance writer, 1998—. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, contributor of talks on food to public radio station, 2001-02, teacher of food writing seminar, 2004; presenter of cooking demonstrations. Interact (support agency), volunteer and counselor, 1998—; Special Olympics World Games, volunteer language liaison, 1999; volunteer teacher of English as a second language.

MEMBER:

Association of Food Journalists, Southern Foodways Alliance.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Shared Penney-Missouri Award, School of Journalism, University of Missouri, 1987; awards from Association of Food Journalists, including best food section, 1994, 1996, and first-place awards for essays, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004.

WRITINGS:

Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes from Simple to Sassy, Harvard Common Press (Boston, MA), 2004.

Contributor to books, including Cornbread Nation: The Best of Southern Food Writing, edited by John Egerton, University of North Carolina Press (Chapel Hill, NC), 2002. Contributor to periodicals, including Gastronomica, Dallas Morning News, Our State, Southern Living, and Midwest Living.

SIDELIGHTS:

Debbie Moose told CA: "When I write about food, I'm really writing about life. That's the great thing about food writing: it touches on every emotion, plus history, humor, and culture. Preparing something simple, like a roast chicken, reminds me how difficult it can be to get the simple things right; sharing it with people I love reminds me of the rewards of working at it.

"I look at writing about food as creating a big table that everyone can gather around. I hope I can encourage readers to create those tables at home for their loved ones, whether it's through providing them with recipes they can prepare and enjoy or by inspiring them to think about the meaning of food in their lives."