From collection Member List
Cookbook author Julee Rosso (Beta Beta-Michigan State) is a successful entrepreneur who has been credited with changing the way Americans cook and eat.
In 1977, Julee founded The Silver Palate, a gourmet food shop in New York City, with her business partner Sheila Lukins. At the time, the idea of gourmet take-out was novel, and the business soon expanded to include shops in other cities, including an outpost in Tokyo. The pair also developed an upscale line of condiments that sold via mail-order catalog. Julee and Sheila co-authored The Silver Palate Cookbook in 1979, followed by The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook in 1984, and The New Basics Cookbook in 1989. The Silver Palate Good Times won the James Beard Award in the category of “Entertaining” in 1986, and their first book was named to the Cookbook Hall of Fame in 1992. That same year, Julee was named in Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.
Julee was later the solo author of Great Good Food, published in 1993, and a series of cookbooks called Fresh Start in 1996–1997 that featured healthier, low-fat recipes. In the early 1990s, Julee also offered a series of “Celebrating Cooking with Julee Rosso” workshops to Alpha Phi alumnae groups in order to raise money for the Alpha Phi Foundation, which landed her on the cover of the Winter 1991 issue of the Alpha Phi Quarterly.
In her later career, Julee owned and ran the Wickwood Inn in Saugatuck, Michigan, with her husband, Ben Miller. Under their ownership, Wickwood was named one of the 10 best inns in America by Bon Appetit and Country Inns magazines. For her service and achievements, Alpha Phi honored Julee with the Ursa Major Award (1984) and the Frances E. Willard Award (1988).
In 1977, Julee founded The Silver Palate, a gourmet food shop in New York City, with her business partner Sheila Lukins. At the time, the idea of gourmet take-out was novel, and the business soon expanded to include shops in other cities, including an outpost in Tokyo. The pair also developed an upscale line of condiments that sold via mail-order catalog. Julee and Sheila co-authored The Silver Palate Cookbook in 1979, followed by The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook in 1984, and The New Basics Cookbook in 1989. The Silver Palate Good Times won the James Beard Award in the category of “Entertaining” in 1986, and their first book was named to the Cookbook Hall of Fame in 1992. That same year, Julee was named in Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.
Julee was later the solo author of Great Good Food, published in 1993, and a series of cookbooks called Fresh Start in 1996–1997 that featured healthier, low-fat recipes. In the early 1990s, Julee also offered a series of “Celebrating Cooking with Julee Rosso” workshops to Alpha Phi alumnae groups in order to raise money for the Alpha Phi Foundation, which landed her on the cover of the Winter 1991 issue of the Alpha Phi Quarterly.
In her later career, Julee owned and ran the Wickwood Inn in Saugatuck, Michigan, with her husband, Ben Miller. Under their ownership, Wickwood was named one of the 10 best inns in America by Bon Appetit and Country Inns magazines. For her service and achievements, Alpha Phi honored Julee with the Ursa Major Award (1984) and the Frances E. Willard Award (1988).
Related Items
Julee Rosso Oral History Interview, c. 1980
In this interview, Julee Rosso describes her collegiate years, the importance of her Alpha Phi friendships, and the development of her food take-out business.
Alpha Phi: Constants in a Century of Change, December 1, 1988
This video advertises the new Campaign for Alpha Phi, a fundraising effort to bolster the Fraternity's programming budget. The video includes several testimonies from alumnae members, including Judith Schmidt Mead, Julee Rosso, Mabel Coope…
