Richard Olney

He was one of the first food writers to introduce the beauty of simple French country cooking to American readers with more than 35 books on food and wine. Born in Marathon, Iowa, Olney attended the University of Iowa before studying painting at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. He moved to France in 1951 at the age of 24, where he led a life of simple elegance surrounded by olive trees. Olney died August 3, 1999, at 71, at his home, following a two year fight with Lyme disease.