Ayla Algar
Ayla Algar, the Mellon Lecturer in Turkish at the University of California, Berkeley, was born and raised in Turkey and visits there often. She has written for the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em> and is the author of <em>The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking</em>, published in England. Her academic background and her lively and articulate interest in the culinary arts of her native land make her extraordinarily well qualified to write on this venerable and delicious cuisine.