Mark Bitterman

Mark Bitterman a leading expert on culinary salt, chocolate, and cocktail bitters.Before finally settling down (for now) with his two boys in Portland Oregon, Mark traveled the globe relentlessly. He spent years in Europe on a motorcycle roaming farmers markets, restaurants, forests, mountains, seas, and homes. Eventually he ended up restoring a castle and helping the resident family raise sheep and ducks, forage mushrooms, and hunt guinea hens and wild boar. Today he splits his time between...See more

Mark Bitterman a leading expert on culinary salt, chocolate, and cocktail bitters.Before finally settling down (for now) with his two boys in Portland Oregon, Mark traveled the globe relentlessly. He spent years in Europe on a motorcycle roaming farmers markets, restaurants, forests, mountains, seas, and homes. Eventually he ended up restoring a castle and helping the resident family raise sheep and ducks, forage mushrooms, and hunt guinea hens and wild boar. Today he splits his time between work and his sons, but still seeks out new people and new foods at every opportunity.Mark won a James Beard Award for his first book, Salted. His second book, Salt Block Cooking, again pioneered new concepts in cooking, leading the charge into the culinary adventure of cooking on salt blocks. His latest book, Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters & Amari, hits the shelves this Fall.Mark is the owner of the specialty store, The Meadow (www.themeadow.com), with locations in Portland, OR and New York City. The shops carry among the largest selection of artisan salts, salt blocks, cocktail bitters, and chocolate bars available. Mark is also the founder of Bitterman Salt Co. (www.bittermansalt.co), delivering hand-made salts that unite flavor, sustainability, and social responsibility.Mark has shared salt and bitters at the Smithsonian, the James Beard House, the French Culinary Institute, the Institute of Culinary Education, Le Cordon Bleu, and with chefs and home cooks around the world.Cooking Light named Mark a Local Food Hero, and Food & Wine named him a Tastemaker. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, O, GQ, Rachael Ray, Wine Spectator, GQ, Esquire, and on The Splendid Table, All Things Considered, Bizarre Foods, CBS News, ABC News, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, the History Channel, and more. See less