Julie Kaufmann, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has lived in California since 1979. She is an editor of the food section of the San José Mercury News. Before becoming a food editor, she wrote “Kids in the Kitchen,” a twice-monthly food column for kids, also for the San José Mercury News. She previously worked on West, which was the Sunday magazine for the San José Mercury News, and spent a decade on the paper's business section. In addition to her work at the San José Mercury News, Kaufmann has taught editing in the Communications Department at Santa Clara University, in Santa Clara, California. Until recently she co-wrote a monthly mystery novel review with her husband for the San José Mercury News. She is an avid home cook who has coauthored several books with Beth Hensperger. Kaufmann lives in Palo Alto, California, with her husband and two children. Web: NotYourMothersCookbooks.com; Facebook presence.