Producer - Author - Editor - Food Stylist
Virginia Willis is a cook, teacher, author, and culinary television producer. At the present time her main focus is completion of her cookbook and forthcoming companion television series: Bon Appétit, Y'all! Three Generations of Southern Cooking (Ten Speed Press, 2008).

A graduate of L'Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne, is currently featured in Atlanta Cooks at Home, a cookbook of menus from Atlanta's top chefs. Virginia produced Turner South's Home Plate with Marvin Woods and the DVD Shirley Corriher's Kitchen Secrets Revealed! Previously she honed her attention to detail as the Kitchen Director for Martha Stewart Living Television where she supervised the food segments for the Emmy-award winning television show. With MSLTV, Virginia was also responsible for preparing private meals and events for Martha and her guests -- including among others, President Clinton, Aretha Franklin, and Julia Child.

As Executive Producer for Epicurious on The Discovery Channel, she traveled the world taping fantastic stories about food - from harvesting capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano to making authentic mustard in Dijon. With Epicurious she was also responsible for directing and producing instructional video as well as developing several impromptu gourmet dinner kits.

A tester and editor for The All-New Joy of Cooking, author of Pasta Dinners 1,2,3, co-author of Home Plate Cooking, featured chef in Atlanta Cooks at Home, and weekly writer for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Virginia's wide and varied food career started in Atlanta as an apprentice to Nathalie Dupree. She worked with Dupree on four PBS series and cookbooks, including the James Beard award-winning Comfortable Entertaining. She also spent several years as an editorial assistant with culinary authority Anne Willan on various projects including Cook It Right, an exhaustive tome that documents the various states of "doneness" (and over- and under-"doneness") of everything from whipped cream to braised pheasant.

She is a recurring guest on The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanut Hour on Sirius Radio and Green and Grow on 920am WGKA. She has appeared on Real Simple Television, Martha Stewart Living Television, Home Plate, and in commercials for Duke's Mayonnaise, Springer Mountain Farms All-Natural Chicken, and an internal Minute Maid sales video. As a nationally-recognized culinary professional her client list includes The Atlanta Bread Company, Cargill/Honeysuckle White, Char-Broil, The Coca-Cola Company, Denny's, Disney World, Duke's Mayonnaise, FoodMatch Inc., Fresh Express, Logan's Roadhouse, LongHorn Steakhouse, TGI Friday's, Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesday, Springer Mountain Farms, Stone Mountain Park, Texas Dairy Queen, Texas Roadhouse, Waffle House, Whole Foods Market, and WingZone.

Virginia is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, the Atlanta Community Food Bank Advisory Board, Georgia Organics, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Southern Foodways Alliance, the Whole Foods Market Chefs Panel, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.