About the Author

NORA POUILLON was born in Vienna. She moved to the United States in the late 1960s and in 1979 opened Restaurant Nora, which in 1999 became the first certified organic restaurant in the country.

Reviews

Nora s wonderful story closely parallels the important rise of organic food in our country and provides hope that this commitment to responsible food will continue to be a choice for more and more Americans. Tom Colicchio
As founder of America s first organic restaurant, and tireless advocate of local food systems (not to mention a brilliant chef), Nora Pouillon is one of the pioneers of the Food Movement. Michael Pollan
Nora takes us on a delicious journey of food memories while bravely and candidly sharing personal and professional stories of her early life in Vienna during the war, adventures throughout Europe and her path to opening the first certified organic restaurant in the country, Restaurant Nora in Washington, DC. Nora s drive, dedication and passion about whole, organic foods has fueled a much needed movement that is felt all around the country. Carla Hall, Co-Host, ABC'sThe Chew, AuthorCarla's Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World

Reading Nora Pouillon s riveting memoir is like eating in her restaurant: a feast for the senses, with sentences and stories so deep and flavorful you can almost taste them. Her book is a memorable tour de force that reminds us of what a pioneering influence Nora has been, on so many levels, since she first set up shop with her (then-crazy) ideas about organic cooking nearly forty years ago. Howard Schultz, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks Coffee Company
In this candid memoir, renowned chef Nora Pouillon tells the story of how she created Restaurant Nora, a Washington, D.C. landmark, and, more importantly, how she raised the consciousness of Americans about the quality of food and the importance of eating and living organically. I consider her a true pioneer of the organic movement and inspiration for leading a healthy lifestyle. Andrew Weil
I loved reading this revealing and entertaining memoir from the Godmother of the organic food movement. Chef Nora s appetite for life and story behind how she cooked up and created the nation s first organic restaurant and the sacrifices she made along the way is a tale every working mother should read. Susan Ungaro, President of the James Beard Foundation
Nora sparked this food revolution long before anyone was thinking about it, and in doing so inspired decades of other chefs, thought leaders, and innovators to change our food system. Nora s compelling life story of how she changed our food system takes us back to the origins of this sustainable food movement. She s not only a thought-provoking chef, but a great writer. Nicolas Jammet, co-founder of sweetgreen
A sparkling memoir. . . . Much more than a memoir of one woman's career in food, the book also provides a picture of the growth of the organic food movement in the U.S. a movement that Nora is still very much a part of. She organizes farmers markets, brings chefs and farmers together, works with consumer advocacy groups, and attends conferences at home and abroad. Pouillon's story is also a feminist one, showing a woman with young children dealing with a failed marriage, working successfully in a male-dominated business and helping other women to succeed in it. An inspiring account and great fun to read. Kirkus Reviews
Implicit in Nora s insistence on quality organic ingredients is care for the family, friends and customers who are nourished at her table. She has extended this deep care and respect to the Earth and to the farmers and ranchers who steward its resources. Whether working to shorten the distance between high integrity producers and like-minded eaters, undertaking a journey that resulted in the nation s first certified organic restaurant, or raising her voice to advocate for sensible food policy, Nora Pouillon is a revolutionary and a vital presence in our modern food culture. Laura Batcha, Executive Director/CEO, Organic Trade Association
This is the best book! Reading it is a multi-sensory experience; Nora serves upanotherdelicious organic feast that you will just love.. . . The result is the chance to fully experienceMy Organic Lifeand savor the memory as you would a delicious organic meal atRestaurant Nora. Nora offers us the chance to learn firsthand what has happened to our food and health, and what one can andmustdo to be part of the solution. I want everyone I know to read this book. Ashley Koff RD, author of Mom Energy
"Riveting. . . . A very personal history of the evolution of the local and organic food movements over the last 50 years." Organic Spa Magazine
How does a young girl growing up in war-torn Vienna become the visionary who led the movement towards cooking with only fresh, healthy, and local ingredients and whose own namesake restaurant became the first in the country to be certified organic? In My Organic Life, Nora Pouillon brings us along on her incredible journey. With verve, honesty, and refreshing modesty, each page celebrates a zest for life. John Fahey, Chairman, National Geographic Society
Long before organics were on store shelves, before farmers markets were sexy and before farm-to-table was a thing, Nora created a food revolution in her kitchen and the surrounding farmlands. This book tells the remarkable tale of where good food really began. Eric Kessler, Trustee, James Beard Foundation and Co-Founder, Chef Action Network
Way before Michelle Obama picked up a trowel and told a nation to change its eating habits, there was Nora Pouillon. . . . Pouillon s spare, clearly written memoir is built around two complementary narratives. One involves the culinary journey of a country where you can now buy organic sugar by the bag at your neighborhood grocery. The other involves her more personal journey from ingenue housewife to self-made restaurateur. . . . Without being preachy, her memoir is also the story of an uncredentialed female cook making her way in the sexist highchef culture, the story of a natural-born problem solver working to build a small enterprise before there was talk of startups or woman-owned businesses. It s also a testament to the personal consequences not good ones for a wife and mother who succeeded at becoming a breadwinner before that, too, was a thing. . . . Brave but also poignant. Liza Mundy, Washingtonian
Pouillon has been a pioneer in locally sourced foods and in the organic movement. . . . Food historians will gain insight here as to what it meant to be in the forefront of a now unstoppable movement. Booklist
Pouillon often led the charge for government standards in organics and environmentally conscious foods. Her restaurant today is an institution and the unofficial meeting place for many politicians and journalists in the nation s capital. . . . [My Organic Lifeis] for those interested in a restaurateur s life or those wishing to know more about the field of organics. Library Journal"

"Nora's wonderful story closely parallels the important rise of organic food in our country and provides hope that this commitment to responsible food will continue to be a choice for more and more Americans." --Tom Colicchio
"As founder of America's first organic restaurant, and tireless advocate of local food systems (not to mention a brilliant chef), Nora Pouillon is one of the pioneers of the Food Movement." --Michael Pollan
"Nora takes us on a delicious journey of food memories while bravely and candidly sharing personal and professional stories of her early life in Vienna during the war, adventures throughout Europe and her path to opening the first certified organic restaurant in the country, Restaurant Nora in Washington, DC. Nora's drive, dedication and passion about whole, organic foods has fueled a much needed movement that is felt all around the country." --Carla Hall, Co-Host, ABC's "The Chew, " Author "Carla's Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World
"
"Reading Nora Pouillon's riveting memoir is like eating in her restaurant: a feast for the senses, with sentences and stories so deep and flavorful you can almost taste them. Her book is a memorable tour de force that reminds us of what a pioneering influence Nora has been, on so many levels, since she first set up shop with her (then-crazy) ideas about organic cooking nearly forty years ago." --Howard Schultz, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks Coffee Company
"In this candid memoir, renowned chef Nora Pouillon tells the story of how she created Restaurant Nora, a Washington, D.C. landmark, and, more importantly, how she raised the consciousness of Americans about the quality of food and the importance of eating and living organically. I consider her a true pioneer of the organic movement and inspiration for leading a healthy lifestyle." --Andrew Weil
"I loved reading this revealing and entertaining memoir from the Godmother of the organic food movement. Chef Nora's appetite for life and story behind how she cooked up and created the nation's first organic restaurant and the sacrifices she made along the way is a tale every working mother should read." --Susan Ungaro, President of the James Beard Foundation
"Nora sparked this food revolution long before anyone was thinking about it, and in doing so inspired decades of other chefs, thought leaders, and innovators to change our food system. Nora's compelling life story of how she changed our food system takes us back to the origins of this sustainable food movement. She's not only a thought-provoking chef, but a great writer." -- Nicolas Jammet, co-founder of sweetgreen
"A sparkling memoir. . . . Much more than a memoir of one woman's career in food, the book also provides a picture of the growth of the organic food movement in the U.S.--a movement that Nora is still very much a part of. She organizes farmers markets, brings chefs and farmers together, works with consumer advocacy groups, and attends conferences at home and abroad. Pouillon's story is also a feminist one, showing a woman with young children dealing with a failed marriage, working successfully in a male-dominated business and helping other women to succeed in it. An inspiring account and great fun to read." --"Kirkus Reviews"
"Implicit in Nora's insistence on quality organic ingredients is care for the family, friends and customers who are nourished at her table. She has extended this deep care and respect to the Earth and to the farmers and ranchers who steward its resources. Whether working to shorten the distance between high integrity producers and like-minded eaters, undertaking a journey that resulted in the nation's first certified organic restaurant, or raising her voice to advocate for sensible food policy, Nora Pouillon is a revolutionary and a vital presence in our modern food culture." --Laura Batcha, Executive Director/CEO, Organic Trade Association
"This is the best book! Reading it is a multi-sensory experience; Nora serves up "another "delicious organic feast that you will just love. . . . The result is the chance to fully experience "My Organic Life "and savor the memory as you would a delicious organic meal at Restaurant Nora. Nora offers us the chance to learn firsthand what has happened to our food and health, and what one can and "must "do to be part of the solution. I want everyone I know to read this book." --Ashley Koff RD, author of "Mom Energy "
"How does a young girl growing up in war-torn Vienna become the visionary who led the movement towards cooking with only fresh, healthy, and local ingredients and whose own namesake restaurant became the first in the country to be certified organic? In "My Organic Life," Nora Pouillon brings us along on her incredible journey. With verve, honesty, and refreshing modesty, each page celebrates a zest for life." --John Fahey, Chairman, National Geographic Society
"Long before organics were on store shelves, before farmers markets were sexy and before farm-to-table was a thing, Nora created a food revolution in her kitchen and the surrounding farmlands. This book tells the remarkable tale of where good food really began." --Eric Kessler, Trustee, James Beard Foundation and Co-Founder, Chef Action Network