'Food Lover's Companion' author Sharon Tyler Herbst dies

Nation's Restaurant News,  Feb 12, 2007  

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BODEGA BAY, CALIF. -- Sharon Tyler Herbst, whose "Food Lover's Companion" has served as a much-thumbed glossary for a generation of culinary students, food writers and industry professionals, died in her home here Jan. 26 of ovarian cancer. According to a report by the Associated Press, Herbst's husband, Ron, declined to disclose her age.

The author of 17 books, Herbst published her first cookbook, "Breads," in 1983 and won the R. T. French Co. Tastemaker award for best bread cookbook of the year.

She then wrote "Simply Sensational Desserts" in 1986 and "The Joy of Cookies" in 1987.

Her landmark guide, an encyclopedia of cooking terms and ingredients, was first published in 1990 and is still in print under the name "The New Food Lover's Companion."

Following two revisions by Herbst, the guide's number of definitions has grown from 3,000 to nearly 6,000 terms related to food and cooking.

The book has sold more than a million copies and is the food-term reference book for several websites and magazines, including Nation's Restaurant News.

"It always amazed me that such a book could be written and that it was virtually on everybody's desk. Any food person I know has it close by," said Kerri Conan, a freelance editor and food writer based in Bonner Springs, Kan. "I find it universally more accurate than anything I find on the Web. It might not be the most in-depth, but that's not its intention, I believe.

"In recent years Herbst also wrote a compendium of kitchen tips titled "The Food Lover's Tiptionary" and "The Ultimate Guide to Pitcher Drinks." She co-wrote with her husband "The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide" and "The New Wine Lover's Companion."

Their latest book, "The Cheese Lover's Companion," which will have more than 1,000 listings of cheese and cheese-related terms, is scheduled to be published this June.

Herbst served on the board of the International Association of Culinary Professionals for eight years and was its president in 1989.

She began her career as a mystery writer in Denver and sold short stories to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

After enrolling in a six-week cooking class, her instructor suggested that she become a cooking teacher herself. She soon began teaching bread baking classes in her home and at local schools. The dearth of reference material about her subject inspired her to write her first cookbook.

In addition to her husband, Herbst is survived by her mother, Kay Tyler, and her sister, Tia McCurdy, both of Galveston, Texas.

At presstime, the family planned to hold a memorial service Feb. 3 at the Yacht Club in Bodega Bay, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made in Herbst's memory to the UCSF Gynecologic Oncology Foundation. Donations can be sent to Dr. C. Bethan Powell, UCSF Gynecologic Oncology Foundation, 1600 Divisadero St., 4th floor, San Francisco, CA 94115.

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