"I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth and a knife in my back," writes cookbook author Brigit Binns to open her memoir, Rottenkid: A Succulent Story of Survival. Growing up the child of actor Edward Binns came with privilege. But his work often took him away from home, leaving Brigit in the care of her narcissistic mother, a journalist who worked with broadcast luminaries such as Edward R. Murrow. Binns found her way to the kitchen to soothe her feelings of neglect and mistreatment, eventually authoring 29 cookbooks.
Brigit Binns shares her experience growing up in Hollywood and finding solace through food in "Rottenkid: A Succulent Story of Survival." Photo courtesy of Sibylline Press.
Binns began to find her identity through food, recalling it was her mother's cheese souffle and the alchemy that occurred in the oven that left a huge impression. As food opened the world to her, Binns was able to shed some childhood insecurities. Exploits took her to Asia for study, England for marriage, and eventually landed Binns back in Los Angeles, where she was able to talk her way into the cookbook business and a career.