MARK BITTMAN, one of the original visionaries in the food movement, has been urging Americans to change the way we eat for 20 years. His 2009 groundbreaking book, Food Matters -- a New York Times bestseller -- explored the crucial connections among food, health, and the environment, and provided tangible guidance for Americans to rethink the their diet. The Food Matters Cookbook, published this fall, provides 500 revolutionary recipes that put the Food Matters plan into full action.

His New York Times Minimalist column has run weekly for 13-plus years and is beloved both in print and online.

Millions of people have welcomed Bittman into their kitchens and living rooms, and his voice resonates with cooks and eaters everywhere. How to Cook Everything, widely considered the new bible of American cooking, demonstrates his unique combination of common sense and non-fussy, unprecious authority. At a time when our diet has the power to make or break our health (and that of the planet), the man - and his message - have spanned all media to make even the most complicated topics both immediate and accessible.

In addition to How to Cook Everything, Bittman touts the simple, rewarding, healthy, and life-changing pleasures of the kitchen in other books, like How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, on markbittman.com, and in an his ongoing regular presence in The New York Times. His television shows (Bittman Takes on America's Chefs, The Best Recipes in the World, and Spain: On the Road Again) take viewers on always-new eating adventures. As a regular on The Today Show, he solves the daily dilemma of what’s for dinner. And as he speaks about food and its role in American culture and health (see his TED talk), Bittman translates the critical issues of our day into an argument for better, saner, homier, and still-enjoyable eating.