Congratulations to Larissa Zimberoff, whose debut book Technically Food just sold to Garrett McGrath at Abrams Press!
Larissa is a freelance journalist who covers the intersection of food, technology, business, and sustainability for publications like the New York Times, Bloomberg, and Wired. This book will be an extension of her excellent reporting on topics like vegan eggs, lab-grown dairy, and algae protein.
Technically Food investigates the technology paradigm shift underway in what we eat, as startups introduce us to foods that mimic what we know of as "real": egg whites made without a chicken's help, milk that doesn't come from an udder, and red meat made from plants. These products are usually vegetarian (often vegan), and, we are told, better for us, better for the environment, and most definitely better for animals. But beyond the marketing spin of "plant-derived" and "environmentally-friendly" there are big questions about food tech's vision of the future of food. By introducing readers to these startups and explaining the ingredients and processes they are building, Technically Food will give readers the tools to navigate supermarket aisles, restaurant menus, and the plates in front of them.
Larissa lined up some excellent pre-endorsements for the book proposal that highlight the importance and timeliness of this topic:
“Every day it seems we’re introduced to a miracle food created in a lab—something that will
save the planet and feed millions. In our eagerness to find solutions, we sometimes don’t stop to ask extremely important questions about what these new foods mean for our diet. Larissa Zimberoff is an insightful reporter who wants to get to the honest answers. She is deeply immersed in the conversation around the future of food and by sharing her strong, skeptical and important voice, she will help us all become more informed on this essential topic.”
-- Dana Cowin, Former Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine
“We are on the cusp of a revolution in what we eat and how we produce those foods. A world of industrially-produced, plant-based foods are on their way, all of them promising to be kinder to both our environment and our health than the meat and other animal products they hope to replace. We desperately need to know more about it so we can understand what these foods are and what the trade-offs really are. Technically Food promises to be precisely the book we need at precisely the right time—now. It can do for our understanding of these future foods what Fast Food Nation did for junk food. And Larissa Zimberoff has already demonstrated that she is the ideal journalist for the job.”
-- Gary Taubes, author of The Case Against Sugar
“A book like this needs to be written so that consumers can balance the fervor for high tech
foods with science and information, which Larissa Zimberoff brings to the table with her passion and journalistic expertise. Selfishly, I want to see it published so I can read it!”
-- Michael Gregar, MD, author of How Not to Die
“The race is on to feed the increasingly hungry human population without destroying our planet in the process. Larissa Zimberoff is the perfect person to tell the tale of the entrepreneurs and their investors hoping to save the world and make a buck in the process.”
-- Paul Shapiro, author of Clean Meat
And here is the Publisher's Marketplace deal memo:
Congratulations again to Larissa and Garrett!