Equal parts travel memoir and cookbook, A Year of Russian Feasts combines Catherine Jones's warm, insightful writing style with her sensitive approach to discovering her family's heritage and its cuisine. Jones takes the reader on an unforgettable journey to her private Russia featuring celebrations, seasons, and people. Her forty recipes highlight Russia's finest dishes.
A self-described global nomad, Catherine Jones was born in New Delhi, India, and has been on the road ever since. The daughter of a retired diplomat and the spouse of a Foreign Service Officer, she has called Germany, Jerusalem, Zaire, England, France, Russia, Macedonia, Austria, and the Philippines home over the past four decades.
After graduating from Connecticut College with a degree in psychology, Catherine decided that food, not the human mind, was her passion. She attended La Varenne Culinary School in France, and then went to work for the late, two-Michelin-star chef, Jean-Louis Palladin in Washington, D.C.
In 2003, her award-winning travel memoir with recipes, A Year of Russian Feasts, hit the shelves, and at the same time she turned her attention to health-cookbooks. Working with specialized dietitians, Catherine wrote two critically acclaimed books: Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be (Da Capo, 2009) and Eating for Lower Cholesterol: A Balanced Approach to Heart Health with Recipes Everyone Will Love (Da Capo, 2005).
Catherine freelances for magazines and newspapers, and she is currently working on a book about the culture and food of the Philippines. She attributes her success to plain hard work. "I never give up, and I don't cut corners." When not overseas, Bethesda, Maryland is home. Catherine says, "Life has been good to me. I've seen so much of the world and met incredible people from all nations and walks of life. Everyone has a story to tell, and I love to hear them all."
