Growing up in Buffalo, New York, Jill was an extremely picky eater. Many factors contributed to her finicky approach to eating. She barely ate any meat (after being tricked into eating ground bear meat as a six year old by her grandmother) and she didn't even try rice until she was twenty years old (as her Vietnam veteran father had an aversion to it). Young Jill made up her mind to eat only foods that were simple and familiar. She avoided trying anything new, and this habit stuck.As an adult in the corporate world and attending business lunches, Jill often found herself eyeing the children's menu because of her pickiness and limited palate. Seeing other people enjoy food she never even tried, Jill realized that expanding her food horizons beyond grilled cheese and pizza was a good idea. So, she learned to cook.So excited by new foods, Jill formed Picky Eaters, a company which gave cooking instruction to children in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. Quickly growing a large clientele, Jill became part owner of a cooking school and gave countless classes for social, school and scout groups. Jill also shared her knowledge and passion for food with adults as through cooking classes.A natural born teacher, whether teaching cooking or middle school and high school English, as she did for many years, Jill's special talent is breaking complex ideas into fundamentals that can be easily understood and practiced until mastered. At the school where Jill taught for six years, she introduced the course Jewish Culture Through Cooking, which became the beginnings of her first cookbook, The Jewish Holidays Cookbook (DK, 2008). Additionally, Jill provided consulting on Grow It, Cook It (DK, 2008) and wrote the foreword to the book. Jill has also designed and taught countless children's cooking classes for private cooking schools, public school districts, and major corporations. Jill is an experienced spokesperson and presenter, and has cooked on demonstration stages at large public events.Jill is also the editor of a print magazine about food for children ages 6-12 called Ingredient. Learn more at www.ingredientmag.com.