Short Version:

Gwen Ashley Walters is a retired food journalist, professionally trained chef and cookbook author.

Long version:

An honors graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Gwen honed her cooking skills in commercial kitchens such as the renowned Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona before trading her chef’s knife for a pen.

Author of three award-winning cookbooks featuring renowned U.S. resorts, she taught cooking classes across the country and her recipes have been featured in numerous print and digital outlets.

Gwen was a restaurant critic and columnist for PHOENIX Magazine for eight years. She has written for The Arizona Republic, Edible PHOENIX and Sun Valley Magazine, as well as digital-only outlets Eater.com and Thrillist.com. Her work has also appeared in Cooking Light and Sunset magazines.

Her blog, Pen & Fork was recognized as the Best Food Blog in Phoenix twice by The Phoenix New Times. 

Gwen’s feature story “Saintly Stockers,” for PHOENIX Magazine won first place in the 2016 non-newspaper food feature category from The Association of Food Journalists, and 2nd place in the Arizona Press Club awards.

Gwen is a former President of the Phoenix Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI).

Linda Avery wrote cookbook reviews for Pen & Fork from 2010 through 2017. She passed away in September, 2018. Her humor and wit and keen eye for cookbooks is sorely missed. Linda was a James Beard award-winning food editor for her work on Leite’s Culinaria. She was an active member and former board member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) Chicago.