Rita Nader Heikenfeld is an award-winning syndicated journalist, Appalachian herbal scholar and accredited family herbalist, author, cooking teacher, and the founding editor of www.Abouteating.com. Rita also writes a syndicated weekly column for Community Press Newspapers in Greater Cincinnati. Besides being named a Certified Culinary Professional by the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Rita is a recipient of the President’s Medal from the Association of Culinary Federation and an inductee into the Escoffier Hall of Fame. She lives in rural Batavia, Ohio, with her family, where they heat with wood, raise chickens for eggs, and grow their own produce and herbs.