About me

In my work as a teacher, I've traveled all over America and the world but I'm always drawn back to the place that owns my heart. My love of teaching cooking takes center stage whether that be on the television series, "Joanne Weir's Cooking Class", my home kitchen, or at Draeger's Cooking School.

My passion for home cooking was stoked by a legacy of life in the kitchen. My great-grandmother operated a restaurant in Boston at the turn of the century called Pilgrim's Pantry. That enthusiasm for food was passed down to my mother, a professional chef and caterer, who worked for years with the legendary cookbook author, Charlotte Turgeon. I continue that some tradition, though it wasn't until after getting a degree in Art Education from the University of Massachusetts and teaching Fine Arts in Boston that I found my way back to the table.

Cooking Influences

Alice Waters (Chez Panisse): Spent five years cooking with Alice in Berkeley, California.

Madeleine Kamman: Studied with Madeleine in New England and France.

Awards, Honors and Societies

2005: Awarded James Beard Foundation "Best Cookbook, General Category Award" for Weir Cooking in the City (Simon & Schuster, 2004)

2004: "From Tapas to Meze" (Ten Speed Press, 2004) wins Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Mediterranean Cookbook

2002: "More Cooking in the Wine Country" (Simon & Schuster, 2001) is nominated for both an IACP Cookbook Award and James Beard Award

1996: Awarded the first International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Julia Child Cooking Teacher Award of Excellence

1994: "From Tapas to Meze" (Crown, 1994) is named one of Julia Child's favorite 12 cookbooks (out of 1000) and is nominated for a James Beard Award