MEET THE AUTHORS

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PUBLISHER & AUTHOR
Joan Peterson is president of Ginkgo Press and the creator of the EAT SMART series of culinary travel guidebooks. To date she has written or co-written guides to the cuisines of Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Morocco, Sicily, India, Peru, Norway, and Portugal. She has traveled extensively for many years, and leads culinary tours to Turkey, Indonesia, India, Morocco, Norway, Peru, Sicily, Portugal, and Jordan.

EAT SMART IN FRANCE
Co-Author, EAT SMART IN PORTUGAL
Ronnie Hess is an award-winning journalist who has had a long and passionate interest in food, especially French food. She has lived and worked in France as a reporter for CBS News and as an English teacher; her food and travel writing has appeared in national and regional publications. She studied cooking with Liane Kuony at the Postilion Restaurant and School of Culinary Arts in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

EAT SMART IN DENMARK
Carol “Orange” Schroeder has a B.A. in Danish Studies from Tufts University, including a year at the University of Copenhagen, and an M.A. in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin. In addition to running the award-winning gift and gourmet shop Orange Tree Imports for almost 40 years, she is the author of “Danish Literature in English Translation” and has translated several books.
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Katrina Schroeder, RD, LDN took her first trip to Denmark as a toddler, and has returned many times. She worked as a book editor for several years before becoming a registered dietitian. She currently works in nutrition counseling for patients with obesity and eating disorders in Boston.

Co-Author, EAT SMART IN INDIA
Indu Menon, also a world-wide traveler, was born in India. She brings her extensive knowledge of the rich culinary heritage of her native country to the Eat Smart in India guide.

Co-Author, EAT SMART IN SICILY
Marcella Croce was born in Palermo, Sicily, and is a journalist and author. For almost twenty years she has been a teacher and coordinator of Elderhostel Programs in Sicily organized by Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Co-Author, EAT SMART IN PERU
Brook Soltvedt has traveled vicariously by editing the Petersons’ culinary travel guides, but finally succumbed and spent weeks researching delicious foods in Peru with Joan Peterson.

EAT SMART IN GERMANY
Mary Bergin of Madison, Wisconsin, is a lifelong professional journalist whose writing forte is food and travel. Her award-winning books about Wisconsin and the Midwest demonstrate an intense interest in regional quirks and specialties. She also is a curious world traveler and a three-time Lowell Thomas award winner. Her articles and photos appear in various regional and national publications.