Molly Wizenberg

Molly Wizenberg is an American food writer, memoirist, and restaurateur who gained prominence through her food blog Orangette, which she launched in 2004. The blog established her voice in food writing and led to multiple books, speaking engagements, and wider recognition in the culinary writing community. Her first memoir, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table (2009), chronicles her relationship with food, her father's death, and meeting her first spouse through her blog. Her second book, Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage (2014), details the experience of opening a pizzeria in Seattle with her then-husband. In 2020, Wizenberg published The Fixed Stars, a memoir exploring identity and sexuality that marked a departure from her previous food-focused writing. She has also contributed to multiple publications including Bon Appétit, The Washington Post, and The Guardian. She co-founded the Seattle restaurant Delancey and its sister bar Essex, though she is no longer involved in their operation. Wizenberg currently lives in Seattle, where she continues to write and teach writing workshops.

Readers connect with Wizenberg's honest, vulnerable writing style and her ability to weave food memories with personal narrative. Her blog Orangette built a devoted following before her books. What readers liked: - Raw emotional authenticity in describing life changes and relationships - Clear, detailed food writing and recipes that work - Personal storytelling that avoids self-indulgence - "Makes you feel like you're talking with a friend" - common reader comment What readers disliked: - Some found the pacing slow, especially in "A Homemade Life" - Later works focused more on relationships than food/cooking - Recipe formatting could be clearer Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: - A Homemade Life: 4.0/5 (22,000+ ratings) - Delancey: 3.8/5 (8,000+ ratings) - The Fixed Stars: 4.1/5 (7,000+ ratings) Amazon: - A Homemade Life: 4.5/5 - Delancey: 4.3/5 - The Fixed Stars: 4.4/5

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table (2009) A memoir that follows Wizenberg's life through food memories and recipes, including her father's death from cancer and meeting her first spouse through her blog.

Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage (2014) Chronicles the founding of Delancey pizza restaurant in Seattle with her first husband, detailing the challenges of opening a restaurant while navigating their marriage.

The Fixed Stars (2020) A memoir exploring Wizenberg's journey of self-discovery as she questions her sexuality and identity in her thirties, leading to the end of her first marriage and the beginning of a new relationship.