Thelma Pressman (April 10, 1921 – August 10, 2010,

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and locate ...

) was a pioneering microwave cooking consultant, product development consultant, and cookbook author. In 1969 she opened the first microwave cooking school in the United States. She was the author of several microwave cookbooks and was a regular columnist for '' Bon Appétit'' magazine from 1978 to 1982. After her retirement to the

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

area, she was a founder of the Palm Springs chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International and led restaurant tours throughout the Coachella Valley. She was often called "the Julia Child of microwave cooking".

Biography

Pressman studied microwave technology at

California Community Colleges The California Community Colleges is a postsecondary education system in the U.S. state of California.California Education CodSection 70900(added to the Education Code by Chapter 973 of the California Statutes of 1988Assembly Bill No. 1725 secti ...

in 1967. In 1969 she founded the first microwave cooking school in the United States in Encino, California. The Microwave Cooking Center became an industry

test kitchen A test kitchen is a kitchen used for the process of developing new kinds of food. On the largest scale, they are run by the research and development departments of large companies in the food industry. Other test kitchens are owned by individuals ...

in which products were evaluated and cookware and recipes were developed for the nascent microwave industry. Pressman was a consultant for Amana Corporation from 1968 to 1976 and Director of Consumer Education and Services for

Sanyo , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded by ...

Electric Co. from 1977 to 1987. In the latter position, she assisted in new product development, gave seminars nationwide, and contributed to the development of more than 100 microwave cookbooks and instruction manuals. Pressman wrote hundreds of articles on microwave cooking for newspapers and magazines. She was a regular columnist for '' Bon Appétit'' magazine from 1978 to 1982. She also produced and hosted a live 30-minute TV show on microwave cooking called ''Fun Time Cooking''. Her ''The Art of Microwave Cooking'' was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

for the Microwave Talking Cookbook for the Blind.

Memberships

Pressman was a member of the Electrical Woman's Round Table, serving as that group's 1977 president, the

American Women in Radio and Television The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is a nonprofit organization created by women in 1951 that works to support women in the media in the United States. About The mission of the organization is to "advance the impact of women in broadcasting a ...

, and the International Association of Cooking Professionals. Pressman was a founding member of the Palm Springs chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, an organization of women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality. From 1991 to 2005 she ran a popular "Restaurant Tour of the Desert", hosting weekly dinners for 25 to 100 locals and tourists at restaurants throughout the Coachella Valley.

Personal life

Pressman was married to Morris (Mo) Pressman for 65 years until his death in 2005. They had two adopted sons, Paul and Rick. She died on August 10, 2010, at the age of 89, and was buried in

Riverside National Cemetery Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administratio ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

, next to her husband Mo, who was a veteran of the US Army.

Bibliography

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References

External links

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Bon Appétit Magazine featuring Thelma Pressman: How to Cook in a Microwave: The 'Best' Advice from Bon Appétit, 1978–1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pressman, Thelma American cookbook writers American food writers Burials at Riverside National Cemetery American television chefs People from Rancho Mirage, California Writers from Palm Springs, California 1921 births 2010 deaths Women cookbook writers American women chefs American women non-fiction writers Bon Appétit people 21st-century American women