This book would have truly been impossible without the unwavering support of clients, friends, colleagues, and my management team. Julie May, my manager, you are the best; thank you for your vision, your encouragement, and your ability to turn my dreams into reality. I am honored to call you not only my manager but a friend as well.
To Mary Lengle, my publicist, whose steadfast belief in this project and in me has empowered me to take new risks. To Shea Zukowski, editor extraordinaire, whose energy and enthusiasm from our very first meeting for this book made it crystal clear that you were the perfect person to help me bring this project to the world. Thank you for your dedication, your ability to keep me closely on track with our vision, and your commitment to creating the best book possible. I am eternally grateful. And to Julie Will, who helped me make it to the finish line, thank you.
To all of my clients, colleagues, and friends who have contributed quotations, feedback, and encouragement for this project at every step of the way. I am grateful for all your support in helping to bring this book to fruition. This book is for you.
For my professional colleagues Felicia Stoler, Lisa Stevenson, Mitzi Dulan, Christopher Speed, Amanda Archibald, Dina Aronson, Katherine Kwon, Gail Funstra, and Vicki Shanta-Retelny, who took time to provide valuable feedback and professional insights, as well as to sharpen ideas and provide much-needed encouragement at many steps of the process. I simply couldn’t have done it without you; thank you for your support and guidance, all of you. To my amazing intern Ryann Collins; your help in combing through the details was the best, and I am indebted to you.
To Melanie Plesko, Keith Snow, and Jennifer Watson, exceptional chefs who generously lent time and professional expertise and shared their recipes with me without hesitation. I am grateful for your help in providing concrete expert cooking suggestions to make leaner and greener living within the grasp of everyone.
To my family: Pete, for being my rock, for believing in me from the very start, and for helping to create the space in our lives for “the year of the book.” Without you, this literally would not have been possible. To Bob Hopper and Sarah Johnson, for helping me push beyond “this is a great book idea” into action. It is because of your encouragement and insights that this book ever got moving from dream into reality. And to my sister Eileen, for the hours you pored over my notes and drafts, providing feedback and sharing “real life” questions; I am so grateful for your belief in me, and for the time you devoted to help me make this book the best it could be. To Lalo, for your help in dressing me for success when I went to New York to pitch this idea to publishers, and to Jeff for “getting it” right away and being so supportive from the very start. And to my mom and dad, David and Jade Walsh, you have always encouraged me to follow my passions, telling me that the best way to find professional success was to do something I loved. I love you for giving me what is perhaps that greatest gift of all; this book is because of you. And most important, for Georgia and Chase, the inspirations for and driving force behind this entire project; you two are by far my life’s best nourishment.