GourmetGrrl was founded in 2004 as a way to bring the best of the best in food, wine, and cocktails to busy foodies. With more than 5,000 subscribers around the U.S., readers turn to GourmetGrrl.com for tips on food, wine, cocktails, recipes, and the latest food news.

Laura Holmes Haddad, a.k.a. the GourmetGrrl, is a food and wine writer and editor. A graduate of Smith College and the California Culinary Academy, Laura worked as a caterer before becoming an editor for Wine X magazine in Sonoma, California. She then relocated to New York City and spent several years as a cookbook editor at Simon & Schuster. Laura has written numerous food and wine articles for publications such as Wine Mutineer, Wines & Vines, Beverage Media, The Tasting Panel, and Edible Los Angeles as well as Wine Enthusiast magazine’s website and iVillage.com. She belongs to several wine and food organizations, including Women for Winesense, Slow Food, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Laura has edited numerous cookbooks and her first cookbook collaboration, Pure Flavor: Fresh Recipes from the Pacific Northwest, was published in 2007 by Clarkson Potter and is co-author of the upcoming entertaining book Lulu Powers, Food to Flowers, due out from HarperCollins in April 2010.

Laura is also the author of Anything But Chardonnay: A Guide to the Other Grapes published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang in April 2008. A witty, practical look at wine, the book covers whites, reds, bubbly, and dessert wine and helps readers explore new wines and includes a handful of wine-friendly recipes.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Laura has lived in San Francisco, New York City, and London and loves to travel, especially to Italy. Laura grew up cooking with her Italian grandmother (she makes a mean gnocchi); her Julia Child-obsessed mother (who taught her how to make the best crème brulee); and tasting vino with her wine-loving father (hence the wine bug). Laura has eaten her way through much of the U.S. and several spots in Europe. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter (both foodies). When she’s not eating you can find Laura uncorking bottles of Champagne.