Raised in Greece and Germany, Maria Speck has a lifelong passion for whole grains. Sheย is the award-winning author of the newย Simply Ancient Grains and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Maria’s first cookbook won multiple awards, among them the coveted Julia Child Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post named Ancient Grains a top cookbook, and Cooking Light magazine included it among the 100 best cookbooks of the past 25 years. ย Simply Ancient Grains was selected as a top cookbook for 2015 by the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and Sweet Paul, as well as on NPRโs Here & Now. It also won an M.F.K. Fisher award, first prize in the book category. ย You can find out more at MariaSpeck.com, and follow her onย Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.