Jo Mancuso

Jo Mancuso worked for the San Francisco Examiner for 20 years, on the news/copy desk, for the Sunday magazine and as editor of the weekly food and home sections. She also did feature-writing for the paper and won a Society of Professional Journalists award for best feature story (print). Previously she worked for the Oregonian, Oregon Journal and Idaho Free Press. She graduated from the University of Oregon.

Jo considers herself a “tentative home cook”  who enjoys reading recipes as short fiction or poetry but lacks culinary confidence and training. She enjoys collaborating with food professionals to adapt their commercial-kitchen dishes — sourcing ingredients, using equipment at hand, tips and "hacks," presentation and serving suggestions — for the home cook.

Recent Articles

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Let Them Eat Gateau And (Calmly) Discuss Veganism In Portland

Can any of us describe veganism in Portland? Maybe we should start by nibbling Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Gateau from a new cookbook with local ties.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Save The Leftovers, Save The Planet? New Cookbook Tackles Food Waste

“Scraps, Peels and Stems” is full of insights, strategies and tips to help manage food waste in daily life, plus simple, enticing recipes for quick gratification.

NW Life | Food | local

Portland Girls' Cookbook Raises $10,000 For Jane Goodall Chimps

As sixth-graders, 14 Portland, Oregon, girls decided to create a fundraiser vegetarian cookbook. As high school freshmen, they just donated $10,000 to Jane Goodall's sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees.

Arts | NW Life | local

Rose City Yarn Crawl Varies Its Pattern With A Few Deft Stitches

The 2018 Rose City Yarn Crawl had fewer participating shops, but more fiber fans — about one-third of the estimated 3,000 total crawlers — were able to explore the yarny wonders of all 11.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Vibrant Flavors Of Mother Russia Color The Kachka Cookbook

Chef/owner Bonnie Morales of acclaimed Portland restaurant Kachka brings vibrant recipes, family tales and cultural insights to a lively, coloricious cookbook celebrating the foods of the former Soviet Union.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Savor The Season With New Pacific Northwest Cookbooks

Cook up delicious holiday dishes from these recent cookbooks with Northwest roots (and find inspiration for last-minute gifts). 

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Get Snackalicious With 'Pok Pok The Drinking Food Of Thailand'

Ready for some flavor-crazed snacking and sipping? The Pok Pok restaurant team's latest cookbook explores a subset of Thai cooking called "drinking food," largely unknown in the United States.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Portland's Pix Weighs In (On A Scale!) With French Tea Cakes

Portland's Pix Patisserie chef rethinks French pastry, showing home bakers step-by-step how to turn out desserts with a twist. Example: cute-as-buttons Raspberry Almond Tea Cakes.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

A Russet/Rye Apple Pie That Brims With Northwest Flavors

Andrew Barton's "The Myrtlewood Cookbook" is all about seasonal home cooking with fresh Pacific Northwest ingredients, and his Russet/Rye Apple Pie arrives right on time.

NW Life | Food | local | Cooking

Waste Not-Want Not Onion Skin Powder Revs Up Cheese Biscuits

Transforming onion skins into powder reduces food waste and imparts depth of flavor to cheese biscuits from Portlander Sarah Marshall's new canning and preserving cookbook.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Quick! Try Easy Soups From Scratch With Breads To Match

Portland's Ivy Manning shows us how to warm up when the chilly rains arrive: Soups from scratch with breads to match, on the table in one hour tops.

NW Life | Food | local | Cooking

Figs Meet Bleu Cheese In An Unexpected Place: An Upside-Down Mochi Cake

Sweet-savory upside-down fig cake from "My Rice Bowl" reflects Revelry chef/owner Rachel Yang's personal Korean-fusion cuisine.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Invasive Valley Trees Yield Perry-Poached Pear Frangipane

Pears have become a top invasive tree in the Willamette Valley but hard cider crafted from fruits picked in abandoned orchards makes for sweet sipping — and baking.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Pass The Cider Sampling Platter, Please

Ciders and makers around the United States and Canada are profiled but the Pacific Northwest is well-represented in "Tasting Cider," a guide that packs in lots of info for novices and aficionados, plus a few recipes. 

NW Life | Food | local | Cooking

Sip Away Autumn Chills With Bauman's Apple Cranberry Warmer

The fall harvest underway in Oregon's Willamette Valley orchards yields pure apple juice from dozens of varietals, for brewing this quick, flavorful stovetop drink.

Books | Food | local | NW Life | Cooking

Portland Chef's Viet-Creole Gumbo Steeped In Family History

From a new cookbook of Portland restaurant recipes, Anh Luu's Vietnamese-Creole gumbo tells the story of her family's journey from Vietnam to New Orleans to Oregon.

NW Life | Food | local | Cooking

Go Big With Portland's 'Tasty' Diner Favorites At Home

Portland's "Tasty" epicurean team has crammed a new cookbook with global diner favorites for any time of day. Fermenting super versatile kimchi is way easier than you think.

Books | Food | NW Life | Cooking

Savor Locavore Dishes From A Fresh Crop Of PNW Cookbooks

Local fruits and vegetables star in a fresh crop of Pacific Northwest cookbooks and we've pulled six intriguing but simple recipes, from Dandelion Salad Sandwich to Roasted Strawberry Purée.

NW Life | Food | local

Dial Heat Up Or Down In 'Fiery Ferments' Carrot-Lime Salad

Spicy Carrot and Lime Salad is an ideal starter recipe from "Fiery Ferments." It's quick and easy, plus you can dial the pepper heat from mild to mouth-on-fire.

NW Life | Food | local | Cooking

'PNW Veg' Recipe: Tofu That Actually Tastes Like Something

Crispy, well-seasoned tofu? A reinterpreted caprese salad is among 100 recipes in Kim O'Donnel's new "PNW Veg," celebrating our region's plant-based culinary bounty.