David Downie is an American author and journalist who divides his time between France and Italy. For the last 20 years he has been writing about European food, culture and travel for magazines and newspapers worldwide. He is the author Enchanted Liguria: A Celebration of the Culture, Lifestyle and Food of the Italian Riviera; Cooking the Roman Way: Authentic Recipes from the Home Cooks and Trattorias of Rome (www.cookingtheromanway.com); The Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam; and Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light, a book of travel essays (www.parisparisthebook.com). Downie's latest food-related books are Food Wine The Italian Riviera & Genoa and Food Wine Rome, in the Terroir Guides series published by The Little Bookroom (http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781892145642 and http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781892145710), in bookstores, respectively, from November 2008 and April 2009. The Terroir Guide to Burgundy will follow in October 2009.

Downie's political thriller, Paris City of Night, is due out May 15, 2009. He is also working on a travel memoir Hit the Road Jacques: A Skeptical Pilgrimage Across Burgundy, which recounts the experiences of a freethinker hiking across France on pilgrimage routes. Please visit David Downie's website, under construction at www.davidddownie.com.