Contributing Digital Producer
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Contact Jo Mancuso