Maria Zizka is a James Beard Award-nominated and New York Times bestselling cookbook author. She studied biology at UC Berkeley and food culture at UNISG in Northern Italy, where she now teaches as a visiting lecturer. Maria loves to host outdoor parties at her home in the Berkeley Hills with her husband and two young sons.

My cookbooks

I’ve written six cookbooks of my own: Dining al Fresco (coming May 4, 2027!); The Hostess Handbook; Cook Color; One-Bowl Meals; Boards, Platters, Plates; and The Newlywed Table.

Collaborations

I’ve collaborated with leading chefs and authors, including Pamela Anderson, Yotam Ottolenghi, Fuchsia Dunlop, Chad Robertson, Nicola Lamb, Helen Goh, Marie Mitchell, Nigel Slater, Elena Reygadas, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, Roxana Jullapat, and Suzanne Goin, and contributed to more than 50 cookbooks.