RIP: Sheila Lukins

I meant to post this a few days ago -- an acknowledgment of the fact that Sheila Lukins, co-author of The Silver Palate Cookbook, died Sunday at the age of 66. The cookbook she co-wrote was a wonderful book that has helped me prepare many a tasty meal through the years.

Lukins may not be the household name that Julia Child became, but, nonetheless, Lukins' contributions to cooking in America were major. How major? Enough so that the Houston Chronicle actually wrote this editorial in remembrance of her. In the words of the Chronicle:

It's hard to remember a world before The Silver Palate Cookbook, one of the most influential books published in the 1980s.

. . . For rocking our culinary world, we owe a debt to Sheila Lukins . . .

BTW, the editorial includes the Silver Palate's pesto sauce recipe.

Here's an article on Lukins' death from the Chicago Tribune that even includes the Silver Palate's popular recipe for Chicken Marbella.

That cookbook wasn't Lukins' only claim to foodie fame. She also served as food editor of Parade magazine, and in 1992 she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's "Who's Who of Food and Beverage."