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Becky Selengut

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Becky Selengut is an American chef, author and cooking instructor based in Seattle, Washington[1] Known for her work in sustainable cooking, culinary education, and foraging,[2] Selengut has authored cookbooks, including Good Fish,[3] Shroom, How to Taste, Misunderstood Vegetables,[4] and Not One Shrine.[5] She was an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award finalist for her book Good Fish.[6]

She has also served as an adjunct professor in the Culinary and Nutrition Department at Bastyr University, taught as an instructor for PCC Natural Markets, and spent ten years teaching at The Pantry Cooking School.[7]

She has contributed on NPR and her articles published on Serious Eats and Eating Well.[8][9]

Early life and education

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Selengut was raised in New Jersey, where she developed an early passion for cooking inspired by her grandmother.[10] She completed her alma mater at Blair Academy.[11] Selengut studied sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she was also a member of the 1989-90 William Smith Basketball roster.[12]

Selengut’s initial goal of becoming a surgeon led her to a career in public health.[10] She later moved to Seattle from Washington, D.C., to enroll in the University of Washington's School of Medicine.[3] She worked at a doctor's office while waiting to establish residency for in-state tuition.[1] She became interested in culinary arts after seeing chefs in the area, eventually pursuing this new path.[10] She graduated from the Seattle Culinary Academy with top honors in 1999.[13]

Career

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After completing her studies at the Seattle Culinary Academy, Selengut worked in various Seattle restaurants, including the internationally renowned Herbfarm Restaurant, where she worked under chef Jerry Traunfeld.[14] She also worked under Chef Sabrina Tinsley at La Spiga.[15]

In 2004, she transitioned into private chef work and culinary education, founding her business Cornucopia, which offers private chef services and cooking classes.[16]

In 2006, she created the educational website Seasonal Cornucopia, which provided resources on seasonal ingredients and their culinary uses.[17]

In addition to her work as a private chef, Selengut has engaged in diverse culinary projects, such as cooking aboard a yacht, foraging tours, and working with immigrants and refugees to help them find employment in the food industry.[18]

She has also taught cooking classes at various institutions, including Bastyr University and PCC Natural Markets.[7]

Selengut taught at The Pantry Cooking School for 10 years, where she developed and taught courses such as the 'Misunderstood Vegetables' class.[19]

She has authored several cookbooks, primarily focusing on sustainability, foraging, and exploring underutilized food items.[20]

Selengut co-authored The Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook in 2008, highlighting regional and seasonal ingredients.[21] Her second book, Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Coast (2011), emphasizes the importance of sustainable seafood practices and was an IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) book award finalist. Good Fish was also named one of the best cookbooks of 2011 by Seattle Magazine and a notable read by NPR.[16] The book was later rereleased in an updated edition in 2018.[22]

In 2014, Selengut published Shroom: Mind-Bendingly Good Recipes for Cultivated and Wild Mushrooms, named one of NPR's top 10 cookbooks of the year.[23] This book explores the culinary uses of cultivated and wild mushrooms, showcasing a wide variety of flavors and textures.[24]

She released her fifth book, How to Taste: The Curious Cook’s Handbook to Seasoning and Balance, From Umami to Acid and Beyond in 2018.[25] The book has also been released in both Taiwanese and Chinese editions.[1]

In 2024, Selengut released Misunderstood Vegetables, which focuses on lesser-known vegetables such as rutabaga, kohlrabi, and burdock root.[2] The book has received critical acclaim, including a favorable review by Florence Fabricant in The New York Times.[26]

Selengut has appeared in various media outlets, including NPR, and has written for publications such as Serious Eats and Eating Well.[11]

She was the co-host of the Field to Fork podcast, which highlighted local food topics in the Pacific Northwest.[9] In addition to her written work, she has also given talks and keynotes on sustainability, cooking, and foraging.[27]

In 2010, Selengut co-hosted a podcast called Look Inside This Book Club, where she and her co-host Matthew Amster-Burton humorously reviewed romance novels based solely on their "look inside" previews.[19]

Selengut’s work reflects on sustainable cooking practices and advocates for environmental consciousness in the culinary world.[28]

In addition to her work in cooking education, Selengut has maintained a strong connection to her alma mater, Blair Academy, where she returned in October 2019 to give a talk as part of the Society of Skeptics lecture series.[11]

Personal life

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Selengut is married to April Pogue, a sommelier and general manager who previously worked at Loulay in Seattle under chef Thierry Rautureau, as well as other high-profile establishments.[29]

Bibliography

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  • Selengut, Becky; Sayers, Jennifer (2008). Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook. Lone Pine International. p. 192. ISBN 9789768200464.
  • Selengut, Becky (2018). Good fish: 100 sustainable seafood recipes from the Pacific Coast. Seattle: Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-63217-107-8.
  • Selengut, Becky (2014). Shroom: Mind-bendingly Good Recipes for Cultivated and Wild Mushrooms. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 240. ISBN 978-1449448264.
  • Selengut, Becky; Amster-Burton, Matthew (2016). Not One Shrine: Two Food Writers Devour Tokyo. CreateSpace. p. 154. ISBN 978-1532858604.
  •  Selengut, Becky (2018). Good Fish: 100 Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Coast. Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: Sasquatch Books. p. 336. ISBN 978-1-63217-107-8.
  • Selengut, Becky (2018). How to Taste: The Curious Cook's Handbook to Seasoning and Balance, from Umami to Acid and Beyond--With Recipes. Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-63217-105-4.
  • Selengut, Becky; Barboza, Clare (2024). Misunderstood vegetables: how to fall in love with sunchokes, rutabaga, eggplant, and more. New York, NY: Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-1-68268-803-8. OCLC 1416705393.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "A Study in Good Taste: Q&A with Seattle Chef, Becky Selengut". Seattle magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  2. ^ a b Denn, Rebekah (April 22, 2024). "This chef wants to help you cook 'misunderstood' vegetables". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b Kelly, Leslie. "Seasoned Chef Cooks Up A Sweet Way To Sell Cookbooks". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  4. ^ Krystal, Becky (September 6, 2021). "Dried mushrooms are an umami powerhouse. Here's how to use them". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ "Town Hall Seattle: Becky Selengut with Bethany Jean Clement — 'Misunderstood Vegetables: How to Fall in Love with Sunchokes, Rutabaga, Eggplant and More' | Third Place Books". www.thirdplacebooks.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  6. ^ Denn, Rebekah. "Make some 'shrooms: Cooking with delectable fungi". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  7. ^ a b "Cookbook author/foodie Becky Selengut's cool job | Produced by Seattle Times Marketing". The Seattle Times. 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  8. ^ Series, Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture (2024-06-13). "Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series – Podcast". Podtail. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  9. ^ a b "Making Sense of Misunderstood Vegetables with Chef Becky Selengut". AnthroDish. 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  10. ^ a b c Reeves, Hilary (2022-05-10). "Thea Foss chef dedicated to preserving SCA, SMA for future generations". People of Saltchuk. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  11. ^ a b c "Chef & Author Becky Selengut '88 Visited Society of Skeptics". www.blair.edu. 2019-10-24. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  12. ^ "1988-89 William Smith Basketball Roster". Hobart and William Smith Colleges Athletics. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  13. ^ "Becky Selengut – Quillisascut". 2013-03-25. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  14. ^ Silva, Jenise (2024-06-14). "New memoir and cookbook 'The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant' celebrates PNW icon". Seattle Refined. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  15. ^ "Becky Selengut Going Out Of Her Way". The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant. 2024-01-11. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  16. ^ a b Mag, Seattle (2011-05-02). "Sustainable seafood expert Becky Selengut's new cookbook". Seattle magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  17. ^ "Becky Selengut Good Fish Book Signing". Kirkland, WA Patch. 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  18. ^ Condor, Bob. "Living Well: Chef's Web site fills in the blanks on local foods". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  19. ^ a b "A new cookbook celebrates vegetable diversity and inclusion, with humor". The Seattle Times. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  20. ^ Swartz, Meghan (2018-10-25). "Visiting Seattle chef highlights sustainable seafood". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  21. ^ "Becky Selengut with Bethany Jean Clement: Misunderstood Vegetables at Town Hall Seattle in Seattle, WA - Wednesday, April 3, 2024". EverOut Seattle. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  22. ^ "Back To Basics: 2011's Simple, Summery Cookbooks". NPR. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  23. ^ Weaver, Stephanie (2014-12-23). "Cookbook review: Shroom by Becky Selengut". Migraine Relief Recipes. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  24. ^ Chang, T.Susan. "'Shroom,' reviewed by T. Susan Chang". The Washington Post.
  25. ^ "Review: Chef/instructor/author Becky Selengut teaches us How to Taste – Blue Kitchen". blue-kitchen.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  26. ^ Fabricant, Florence (2024-02-20). "The Wine Shop Millesima USA Doubles in Size for Its World-Class Selection". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  27. ^ "| Eat Your Books". www.eatyourbooks.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  28. ^ "The best books that take you on a journey into the fantastic world of fungi". Shepherd. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  29. ^ "Love and food: The stories of 5 restaurant-industry couples". The Seattle Times. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
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