Book Talk with Maria Speck on 13 Nov 2026 at 6pm at the GAHM

Join us for a book discussion and a culinary excursion with veteran food writer and cookbook author Maria Speck on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 at 6 pm. Maria will be interviewed by Joe Yonan, the former food editor of the Washington Post. Book copies will be available for purchase and signing.

Her latest publication, Baking with Ancient Grains—Mediterranean-Inspired Recipes for Living Well, which launched in October, is a deep-dive into baking with whole flours, heart-healthy olive oil, and little to no sugar—all inspired by the bounty of the Mediterranean and her upbringing in both Greece and Germany. It covers the range of baking, from cookies to cakes, crackers and tarts, to yeasted cakes and sourdough breads. It features only 100% whole grain flours, including rye and spelt, buckwheat and barley, cornmeal, amaranth, and teff.

Maria also authored Simply Ancient Grains and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Her work has received multiple awards, including a Julia Child First Book award by the IACP and an M.F.K. Fisher cookbook award. The New York Times named her first book a notable cookbook, and Cooking Light included it as one of 100 best cookbooks of the past 25 years. Raised in Greece and Germany, Maria has a lifelong passion for whole grains. She has contributed to numerous publications in both the US and Germany, including The Washington Post, Gourmet, Eating Well, Saveur, Gastronomica and Modernist Bread. The publisher of Modernist Cuisine, Stephanie Swane, included Maria among 20 Top Women Visionaries in bread and pizza in America. Follow her on Instagram @MariaSpeck and for more visit www.MariaSpeck.com.

Light refreshments will be served.

“Baking with Ancient Grains makes healthier baking—with whole-grain flours, healthy
olive oil, and minimal sugar—an alluring and attainable exploration of flavor, texture,
color, and aroma. Baking with these nutritious ingredients isn’t difficult, but it does
involve some specific techniques, and there is no one I trust more as a guide in this
realm than Maria Speck.”

—ELLIE KRIEGER, RDN, PBS and Food Network host;
two-time James Beard Award–winning cookbook author