Dave DeWitt

Dave DeWitt is a food historian and one of the foremost authorities in the world on chile peppers, spices, and spicy foods. He has fifty-three published books to his credit. Dave is also the producer of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, the trade/consumer show for the fiery foods and barbecue industries, now in its thirtieth year. His best-selling books include The Pepper Garden (gardening guide, 1993), The Hot Sauce Bible (food history/cookbook, 1996), The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia (reference, 1999), The Spicy Food Lover’s Bible (food history, cookbook, 2005).

Career

After moving to New Mexico in 1974, Dave DeWitt co-wrote and hosted the “Captain Space” late-night TV show on KOAT-TV (1975-76). He later produced and hosted a local country music show on KGGM-TV called “A Country Affair.” Moving on, he specialized in on-camera and voice-over talent and was one of the national voices of GMC Truck. Dave’s interest in chile peppers led to his writing numerous articles on the subject, and in 1984, St. Martin’s Press published his book, The Fiery Cuisines, co-authored with Nancy Gerlach. In 1988, Dave and Nancy approached publisher Robert Spiegel, and the three launched Chile Pepper magazine with a mere 212 subscribers. Chile Pepper magazine led to book projects, including The Whole Chile Pepper Book (Little, Brown, 1990), which sold 120,000 copies. In 1996, Spiegel sold Chile Pepper and Dave moved on to launch Fiery Foods & Barbecue magazine, which he edited and published until 2008, when he closed it to focus on the Fiery Foods & Barbecue SuperSite (now entitled Fiery Foods & BBQ Central), which features articles and recipes on chile peppers and barbecue. He continues to write books about chile peppers and spicy food, including The Complete Chile Pepper Book (gardening guide/cookbook, 2009), co-authored with Dr. Paul Bosland, the renowned chile pepper breeder at New Mexico State University. Dave also wrote, hosted and co-produced, with the NMSU media arts department, the first video documentary on chile peppers, “Heat Up Your Life.” National TV appearances for Dave include “The Martha Stewart Show,” “American Journal,” Cable News Network, “The Today Show,” “Home with Gary Collins,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “Mythbusters,” “Extreme Conventions” on the Travel Channel, along with numerous Food Network appearances. He has also been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, USA Today, American Way, Smithsonian, and approximately 300 newspapers and magazines across the country. Publishers Weekly has dubbed him “a veteran spice-meister.” Several years later, Dave received his ultimate accolade from no less than The New York Times that declared him to be “The Pope of Peppers.”

Personal Life

Dave DeWitt lives with his wife, Mary Jane Wilan, in the South Valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a Doberman, two Cornish Rex cats, his garden, and his greenhouse.

Awards

1999. Winner, Best Spice Book in English, World Cookbook Awards at Versailles, for The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia.
2000. Finalist, James Beard Awards, for A World of Curries.
2006. Finalist, IACP Cookbook Awards, for The Spicy Food Lover's Bible.
2008. Winner, Best Cookbook, New Mexico Book Awards, for Cuisines of the Southwest.
2008. Winner, Best Adventure Novel, New Mexico Book Awards, for Avenging Victorio.
2010. Winner, Best New Mexico Book, New Mexico Book Awards, for The Complete Chile Book.
2011. Winner, Best Cooking Book, New Mexico Book Awards, for The Southwest Table (tie).
2011. Winner, Best Cooking Book, New Mexico Book Awards, for 1001 Best Hot & Spicy Recipes (tie).
2015. Winner, Best Culinary History, IACP Awards, for Precious Cargo: How Foods from the Americas Changed the World.
2015. Winner, Best Business Book, New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards, for Microfarming for Profit: From Garden to Glory.

Books Published

1979. Discover New Mexico. Travel guide. Albuquerque: Sunbelt Press.
1979. The Mute Strategy. Novel. Albuquerque: Sunbelt Press.
1984. The Fiery Cuisines. Cookbook. New York: St. Martin's Press. Paperback edition, Chicago: Contemporary Books,
1985. Paperback edition, Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1991. With Nancy Gerlach. 1985. Fiery Cuisines. Cookbook. London: Macdonald and Co. With Nancy Gerlach.
1986. Fiery Appetizers. Cookbook. New York: St. Martin's Press. Albuquerque: Border Books, 1991. With Nancy Gerlach.
1989. Texas Monthly Guide to New Mexico. Travel guide. Austin: Texas Monthly Press. New edition, Gulf Publishing, 1993.
1990. The Whole Chile Pepper Book. Food history/Cookbook. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. With Nancy Gerlach.
1991. Hot Spots. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing.
1992. The Food Lover's Handbook to the Southwest. Travel and cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan
1992. Chile Peppers: A Selected Bibliography of the Capsicums. Las Cruces, NM: The Chile Pepper Institute.
1992. Just North of the Border. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Nancy Gerlach.
1993. The Pepper Garden. Gardening guide. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. With Paul Bosland.
1993. Callaloo, Calypso, and Carnival: The Cuisines of Trinidad and Tobago. Food and travel. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press. With Mary Jane Wilan.
1994. Hot & Spicy & Meatless. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock.
1994. A World of Curries. Food history/cookbook. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. With Arthur Pais.
1994. Hot & Spicy Chili. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock.
1995. Hot & Spicy Latin Dishes. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock.
1995. The Habanero Cookbook. Cookbook. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. With Nancy Gerlach.
1995. Meltdown! The Fiery Foods Show Cookbook. Cookbook. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press. With Mary Jane Wilan.
1995. Hot & Spicy Southeast Asian Dishes. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock.
1995. Heat Wave: The Best of Chile Pepper Magazine. Cookbook. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press. With Nancy Gerlach.
1996. Hot & Spicy Caribbean. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock.
1996. The Hot Sauce Bible. History/cookbook. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press. With Chuck Evans.
1996. Hot & Spicy Mexican. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock.
1996. Sweet Heat. Cookbook. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. With Melissa T. Stock.
1996. Peppers of the World: An Identification Guide. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. With Paul Bosland.
1997. Hot & Spicy & Meatless 2. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock.
1997. Great Salsas by the Boss of Sauce. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press. With W.C. Longacre.
1997. The Pepper Pantry: Habaneros. Gardening and cooking guide. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts. With Nancy Gerlach.
1997. The Pepper Pantry: Chipotles. Gardening and cooking guide. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts. With Chuck Evans.
1997. Great Bowls of Fire. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. Cookbook. With W.C. Longacre.
1998. The Flavors of Africa. Cookbook. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing. With Mary Jane Wilan and Melissa T. Stock
1998. The Food of Santa Fe. Cookbook. Boston: Tuttle/Periplus Editions. With Nancy Gerlach.
1999. The Healing Power of Peppers. Health book. New York: Three Rivers Press. With Melissa T. Stock and Kellye Hunter.
1999. The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia. Reference. New York: William Morrow & Co.
2001. Barbecue Inferno. Cookbook. Ten Speed Press. With Nancy Gerlach.
2001. Too Many Chiles! Growing, Using and Preserving Peppers. Detailed preserving techniques and recipes. Golden West Publishers. With Nancy Gerlach and Jeff Gerlach.
2005. The Spicy Food Lover’s Bible. The ultimate guide to key ingredients that give food spice. Food history/cookbook. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang. Co-authored by Nancy Gerlach.
2006. Da Vinci’s Kitchen: A Secret History of Italian Cuisine. Food history. Dallas: Ben Bella Books.
2007. Avenging Victorio: A Novel of the Apache Insurgency in New Mexico, 1881. Albuquerque: Rio Grande Books.
2007. Cuisines of the Southwest: An Illustrated History. Food history/cookbook. Phoenix: Golden West Publishers.
2009. The Complete Chile Pepper Book. Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking. With Paul Bosland. Portland: Timber Press.
2010. The Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized American Food. Food history. Chicago: Sourcebooks.
2010. 1001 Best Hot & Spicy Recipes. Reference/cookbook. Chicago: Surrey Books.
2011. The Southwest Table: Traditional Foods from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Food history/Cookbooks. New York: Lyon's Press.
2011. Popular Plates Fiery Foods. Bookazine/Special interest magazine. Irvine, CA: Source Interlink Media.
2012. Dave DeWitt's Chile Trivia. Humor/history. Albuquerque: Sunbelt Media.
2013. Growing Medical Marijuana. Gardening guide. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
2013. The Pepper Pantry: Jalapeños. Gardening and cooking guide. Santa Fe: Terra Nova Books.
2013. The Pepper Pantry: Ancho and Poblano Chiles. Gardening and cooking guide. Santa Fe: Terra Nova Books.
2013. The Pepper Pantry: New Mexican Chiles. Gardening and cooking guide. Santa Fe: Terra Nova Books.
2013. The Pepper Pantry: Sweet Heat. Cooking guide with recipes. Santa Fe: Terra Nova Books.
2013. The Pepper Pantry: The Essential Chile Sauce Guide. Cooking guide with Recipes. Santa Fe: Terra Nova Books.
2013. The Pepper Pantry: The Essential Hot Spice Guide. Cooking guide with recipes. Santa Fe: Terra Nova Books.
2014. Precious Cargo: How Foods from the Americas Changed the World. Food history. Berkeley: Counterpoint Press.
2014. Dishing Up New Mexico. Cookbook. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.
2015. Microfarming for Profit: From Garden to Glory. Business guide. Torrey, Utah: Torrey House Press.
2016. The Field Guide to Peppers. Portland: Timber Press. Field guide. With Janie Lamson
2017. First Skin 500 Squirrels. Barbecue history. Albuquerque: Sunbelt Editions.
2018. The Big Squeeze. Novel. Albuquerque: Sunbelt Editions.

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