Professional Home Economist and cookbook author, Emily Richards began her food career at a very young age, learning to make bread and pasta at her grandmother's knee. Food is the touchstone in Emily's Southern Italian family, so no one was surprised when she opted to get her degree in Home Economics, specializing in Food and Nutrition from the University of Western Ontario.

Emily’s cookbook, Italian Express Fast and Easy Family Favourites (HarperCollins Publishing 2005) is a great weeknight meal cookbook to get you through your busy week. She has also co-authored Canadian Living Cooks 185 Showstopping Recipes from Canada’s Favourite Cooks (Random House 2003) and Living the GI Diet Delicious Recipes and Real Life Strategies to Lose Weight and Keep it Off (Random House 2003).

After a seven-year restaurant career, she joined Canadian Living Magazine's Test Kitchen where she created and tested recipes for the magazine, cookbooks and television show. Emily also worked alongside Bonnie Stern for a number of years at her cooking school, in Toronto, assisting many world-renowned chefs and cookbook authors. Emily now spends her time creating recipes for LCBO Food & Drink Magazine, Longo’s Experience Magazine, Foodland Ontario, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Ontario Potato Board, Wild Blueberry Association of North America and Heart and Stroke Foundation.  Emily continues to develop her own recipes for cooking classes, private events and is sculpting her next cookbook.

Emily was the past president of the Ontario Home Economics Association and currently is the president of the local Waterloo Wellington Home Economics branch. She also volunteers her time for the Nutrition Committee for Breakfast for Learning and is the editor of the Toronto Taste Cookbook, which is part of fundraising efforts for Second Harvest. Emily surrounds her life with food and family, whether it's cooking at home for family and friends or at the many events she teaches at around Canada. The love for family and food is always there.

"I live by a very simple philosophy," says Emily. "Live, love and cook! I think these are the three important ingredients to a full and happy life. My life is food and I want to invite everyone in to enjoy the experience."