Elizabeth Dougherty has been cooking and writing about food intensively for more than ten years. She is the fourth generation of chefs and gourmet grocers in her family with her mother, Francesca Esposito and grandmother, Carmella being major influences in her early cooking years. As a teenager, her family sent her to Europe where she became focused on French and Italian cuisine. She is a graduate of NYIT, Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations. Prior to that, she survived a year and half of culinary tutelage under a maniacal Swiss-German chef.

Elizabeth taught cooking classes, acted as a personal chef for individuals and small parties, and consulted for restaurants and other food service organizations in menu development as well as cost saving measures. As a freelance writer, she has written hundreds of articles for many different publications (see below).

With previous memberships in the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the James Beard Foundation and National Restaurant Association, she has kept abreast of the current and ever-changing trends in the culinary world.