"A chronicle of hard work and a public health resource, Slow Cooked is also proof that it’s never too late."—New York Times

Marion Nestle reflects on her late-in-life career as a world-renowned food politics expert, public health advocate, and a founder of the field of food studies after facing decades of low expectations.

In this engrossing memoir, Marion Nestle reflects on how she achieved late-in-life success as a leading advocate for healthier and more sustainable diets. Slow Cooked recounts of how she built an unparalleled career at a time when few women worked in the sciences, and how she came to recognize and reveal the enormous influence of the food industry on our dietary choices.

By the time Nestle obtained her doctorate in molecular biology, she had been married since the age of nineteen, dropped out of college, worked as a lab technician, divorced, and become a stay-at-home mom with two children. That's when she got started. Slow Cooked charts her astonishing rise from bench scientist to the pinnacles of academia, as she overcame the barriers and biases facing women of her generation and found her life's purpose after age fifty. Slow Cooked tells her personal story—one that is deeply relevant to everyone who eats, and anyone who thinks it's too late to follow a passion.

About the Author

Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University and author of a wide range of books about the politics of food, nutrition, health, and the environment.

Contents

Introduction

1 A Long, Slow Start
2 My First Academic Job
3 Second Job: A Spousal Hire
4 Back to School
5 Working for the Feds
6 Finally, NYU
7 Joining the Food World
8 Inventing Food Studies
9 Writing Food Politics
10 The Fun Begins
11 How I Do It
12 The Books

Conclusion: Some Final Thoughts

Acknowledgments
Notes
Illustration Credits
Index

Reviews

“The great Marion Nestle, not a person who spends a lot of time talking about herself, has written a memoir. It’s a gem"
— Ruth Reichl

"[A] delight . . . [Nestle’s] prodigious writings, advocacy and public speaking on food policy, political economy and food safety were quite unexpected given [her] career trajectory. But now in 20-20 hindsight, they remain indispensable."
— Forbes

"Her prose exhibits the same accessibility she strives for in her academic work . . . . In Slow Cooked, she holds nothing back as she details moments of doubt — like when the Sugar Association threatened to sue her after she published Food Politics in 2002 — with both humor and suspense. A chronicle of hard work and a public health resource, Slow Cooked is also proof that it’s never too late."
— New York Times

"An engrossing and beautiful memoir—personal, generous, thoughtful, and inspiring. She calls on all academics, advocates, researchers, and practitioners to help bring about food system changes to promote public health, food equity, and sustainable diets."
— Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

"A magnificent plea for social justice against all types of discrimination and for the emancipation of women. [Nestle] teaches us great lessons on how to overcome obstacles while maintaining intellectual integrity and faith in science and public health."
— American Journal of Public Health

"Slow Cooked is an engaging and even fascinating read for those involved in food studies…and provides crucial background to our understanding of the field and its future."
— Canadian Food Studies

"'America’s foremost nutrition warrior' shares her life’s work influencing nutrition policy behind the scenes, and how she overcame the barriers facing the women of her generation to find her purpose after 50."
— Civil Eats

"Marion Nestle is one of my heroes. After reading her riveting memoir, I admire her more than ever. She is one of the most important voices in the food world, and in this book she gets personal for the first time."—Ruth Reichl, former editor of Gourmet magazine

"Marion Nestle is a national treasure, and now you can learn how she came to be. Just like Nestle herself, this beautiful memoir is thoughtful, generous, unstinting, and deeply committed to learning from the past to build a better world."—Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System

"I have always had such admiration for Marion Nestle: she is one of our nation's shrewdest thinkers and has transformed the way all of us think about public health, the industrial food industry, nutrition, and the future of food. With this extraordinary book, I see for the first time how she became the clear-eyed, indefatigable warrior that she is. Her radical self-reflection and honesty are deeply moving—and in telling her life's story, Marion is forging a path for the next generation of food activists."—Alice Waters, chef, author, food activist, and founder of Chez Panisse restaurant

"Marion Nestle is a brilliant, courageous champion of healthy food, social justice, and scientific integrity. This poignant and inspiring book tells us how she came to be that way."—Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

"Extraordinary! Marion Nestle's story moves me, heart and soul. I have long admired her leadership in awakening us to the crisis of our corporate-corrupted food system. In this work, however, she offers hope in the capacity of humans to transform obstacles and denigration into opportunity and dignity. She shares a gripping, very personal story that will help us discover our own courage. Just what's needed, now more than ever."—Frances Moore Lappé, cofounder of Small Planet Institute

Awards

Edinburgh Medal 2023 2023, Edinburgh Science Foundation
IACP Awards Finalist (Literary or Historical Food Writing) 2023 2023, International Association of Food Professionals

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

Reviews

Awards