Biography
Joan Nathan was born in Providence, Rhode Island. After receiving a masters degree in French literature from the University of Michigan, she earned another masters degree in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. For three years she lived in Israel working for Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem. She was one of the founders of New York's Ninth Avenue Food Festival under mayor Abraham Beame. Nathan was also the executive producer and host of Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, a PBS series based on her cookbook, Jewish Cooking in America.
Nathan is married to Allan Gerson, an attorney, and has three children: Daniela, David and Merissa. They live in Washington, D.C. and Martha's Vineyard.
In January 2009, she was saved from choking on a piece of chicken at the Art.Food.Hope dinner in Washington, DC, by chef Tom Colicchio, who performed the Heimlich maneuver on her.
In May 2011, Ms. Nathan received a Special Recognition Award from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research for her contribution to preserving Jewish culture.
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