But she didn't just put breakfast things in her bag. She slipped in the products that she bought to markets to taste them with friends, or surprises that she bought because she knew that it would make you happy. Even if it’s boiled eggs or Roquefort. That was Marlena.
On stage, at this demo, she used that breakfast cheese from her bag, but also all the leftovers of the other chefs to make to best grilled sandwich I had in my life. Delicious!
Last time in Sweden, she offered the audience a funny show taking out of her bag all kinds of treats related to the coronation of King Charles III to share her joy of this event with us…
She was funny, humble, and incredibly talented. Her newsletters are worth reading, she could turn a little fork found on the road into a thriller.
She had so many awarded cookbooks. In her latest newsletter, she was happy because she knew that Edouard Cointreau, president and founder of The Gourmand Awards, was the only one in the world to read from A to Z her texts, manuscripts and publications.
She was an inspiration for every food writer, and a very good friend. I didn’t know her house, her husband, or her family. Just the little she distilled. But the weeks we spent together abroad, with all our friends from the Gourmand Awards, were just magical. I’m grateful to Gourmand International to have made me known Marlena Spieler.
She came once in Paris in winter to visit me, just because I told her that I loved ice cream in winter. And we had the largest one !
Today, I will eat a lot of ice cream. Because it’s delicious. I will miss her…We think that the people who have talent and that we love are immortal...Life is unfair when the best leave.
All my thoughts to her family, she was a wife, mother, grandmother and mum of 2 Jack Russell : Jake and Lambchop.
Marlena Spieler (1949 – 2023) was born and grew up in California, based in the UK till her death. . For over ten years Marlena wrote a travel and food column for The San Francisco Chronicle, The Roving Feast. It too was nominated for a James Beard Award as well as winning numerous Association of Food Journalists awards. She wrote more than 70 cookbooks mostly awarded, all over the world and especially about Jewish Cuisine Heritage.
She was part of “the club of best seller cookbooks in the world”n such as Vefa Alexiadou, Chef Wan, Ckaudia Roden or Mireille Sanchez.