Willan, Anne 1938-

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WILLAN, Anne 1938-

PERSONAL: Born January 26, 1938, in Newcastle, England; naturalized U.S. citizen, 1973; daughter of William (a lawyer) and Joyce (Todd) Willan; married Mark Cherniavsky (a banker), July 9, 1966; children: Simon, Emma. Education: Cambridge University, M.A., 1959; attended cookery schools in London and Paris, 1960-64.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne, Burgundy, France. Agent—Janis McLean, P.O. Box 25574, Washington, DC 20007.

CAREER: Gourmet, New York, NY, member of editorial staff, 1965-66; Washington Star, Washington, DC, food editor, 1966-68; cookery editor and consultant, 1969-74; Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne, Paris, France (currently Chateau du Fëy, Burgundy, France), founder and president, 1975—. Host of television show Anne Willan's Look and Cook. Also gives cooking classes at The Greenbriar resort, West Virginia, elsewhere in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Member of board, COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, Napa, CA.

AWARDS, HONORS: Tastemaker Award, 1977, for Great Cooks and Their Recipes, and 1980, for La Varenne's Basic French Cookery; named to "Who's Who of Food and Beverage," 1986; James Beard award for In and Out of the Kitchen in Fifteen Minutes or Less; International Association of Culinary Professionals lifetime achievement award and induction into Hall of Fame, both 1999; named "Cooking Teacher of the Year," Bon Appétit magazine, 2000.

WRITINGS:

Entertaining Menus, Coward (New York, NY), 1974, published as Entertaining: Complete Menus for All Occasions, Batsford (London, England), 1980, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1981.

Great Cooks and Their Recipes: From Taillevent toEscoffer, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1977, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1992.

The Observer French Cookery School, Macdonald (London, England), 1980.

La Varenne's Basic French Cookery, H. P. Books (Tucson, AZ), 1980.

French Regional Cooking, Morrow (New York, NY), 1981.

La Varenne's Paris Kitchen, Morrow (New York, NY), 1981.

La Varenne French Cookery Course, Morrow (New York, NY), 1982.

Classic French Cooking, illustrated by Susan Alcantarilla, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 1986.

La Varenne Pratique: The Complete Illustrated Cooking Course, Techniques, Ingredients, and Tools of Classic Modern Cuisine, Crown (New York, NY), 1989.

La France Gastronomique, Pavilion (London, England), 1991.

Perfect Pasta, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992.

Main Dish Vegetables, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992, reprinted as Perfect Main Dish Vegetables, 1997.

Meat Classics, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992, reprinted as Perfect Meat Classics, 1997.

Perfect Fruit Desserts, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992, revised edition, 1998.

Chateau Cuisine, photography by Christopher Baker, Maxwell Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Chicken Classics, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992, reprinted as Perfect Chicken Dishes, 1997.

Chocolate Desserts, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1992, reprinted as Perfect Chocolate Desserts, 1997.

Creative Appetizers, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993, reprinted as Perfect Appetizers, 1997.

Superb Salads, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993, reprinted as Perfect Salads, 1997.

Italian Country Cooking, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993, reprinted as Perfect Italian Country Cooking, 1997.

Creative Casseroles, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993.

Delicious Desserts, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993, reprinted as Perfect Desserts, 1997.

Fish Classics, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993, reprinted as Perfect Fish Classics, 1997.

Asian Cooking, recipe consultant, Lucy Wing, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1994, reprinted as Perfect Asian Cooking, 1997.

Perfect Pies and Tarts, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1994, reprinted, 1998.

Splendid Soups, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1994, reprinted as Perfect Soups, 1998.

Classic Breads, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1995.

French Country Cooking, D. Kindersley (New York, NY), 1995.

In and Out of the Kitchen in Fifteen Minutes or Less, photography by Sara Taylor, Rizzoli (New York, NY), 1995.

Cook It Right: Achieve Perfection with Every DishYou Cook, Reader's Digest (Pleasantville, NY), 1997, published in England as Cooked to Perfection: A Complete Guide to Achieving Success with Every Dish You Cook, Quadrille (London, England), 1997.

Anne Willan: From My Chateau Kitchen, photography by Langdon Clay, C. Potter (New York, NY), 2000.

Cooking with Wine, photography by Langdon Clay, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2001.

Good Food, No Fuss: 150 Ideas for Easy-to-CookDishes, photography by Simon Wheeler, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 2003.

The Good Cook: 70 Essential Techniques: 250 Step-by-Step Photographs: 350 Easy Recipes, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 2004.

Editor-in-chief of "Grand Diplome Cooking Course," Grolier, 1970-73. Contributor of monthly column to Los Angeles Times food syndicate. Contributor to Washington Post.

SIDELIGHTS: Anne Willan is an internationally known cooking teacher who is equally at home in print, on television, and in intimate classes at her chateau in Burgundy, France. Originally known for her expertise in French cookery, Willan has become a respected authority on other regional cuisine as well as an instructor in reliable cooking techniques. In Booklist, Mark Knoblauch cited Willan for a "candid, unassuming attitude" that marks her as "an outstanding teacher."

Willan began her La Varenne cooking school in Paris in 1975. Seven years later, she and her husband bought a seventeenth-century Burgundian estate named Chateau du Fëy and moved the school there. She also travels frequently for classes in the United States and Australia and is the host of Anne Willan's Look and Cook on television. Many of the recipes she tries wind up in the pages of cookbooks, and these have garnered mostly positive reviews for their straightforward approach and daring cuisine. In a Library Journal review of Anne Willan: From My Chateau Kitchen, Judith C. Sutton concluded: "Most readers should find the text engrossing and the recipes delicious." A Publishers Weekly critic found Anne Willan's Cook It Right to be a "valuable guide," and another Publishers Weekly piece called Chateau Cuisine an "exquisite book." A reporter in the Winston-Salem Journal noted that Willan is "esteemed as a culinary instructor," and her book Cooking with Wine "is recommended for anyone interested in wine, food—or both."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 1993, Alice Joyce, review of Chateau Cuisine, p. 731; February 15, 1998, Mark Knoblauch, review of Fruit Desserts, Pies and Tarts, and Soups, p. 962; May 15, 1998, Mark Knoblauch, review of Cook It Right: Achieve Perfection with Every Dish You Cook, p. 1581; March 15, 2000, Mark Knoblauch, review of Anne Willan: From My Chateau Kitchen, p. 1309; February 15, 2002, Mark Knoblauch, review of Cooking with Wine, p. 982.

Library Journal, March 15, 2000, Judith C. Sutton, review of Anne Willan: From My Chateau Kitchen, p. 121.

Publishers Weekly, July 26, 1993, review of ChateauCuisine, p. 67; March 16, 1998, review of Cook It Right, p. 58; March 6, 2000, review of Anne Willan: From My Chateau Kitchen, p. 99; October 1, 2001, review of Cooking with Wine, p. 54.

Winston-Salem Journal, May 1, 2002, "Vintage Fare: Author Lives Up to Her Reputation As Teacher in Her New Cookbook," p. E2.