Marcella Hazan (1924-2013) was born in the village of Cesenatico, Italy. She earned a doctorate in natural sciences and biology from the University of Ferrara. In 1956 she married Victor Hazan, an Italian-American who subsequently gained fame as a wine writer, and the couple moved to New York City a few months later.

Marcella was widely considered by chefs and fellow food writers to be one of the foremost authorities on Italian cuisine. Her cookbooks, including The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, are credited with introducing the public in Britain and the United States to the techniques of traditional Italian cooking.