Susan Spungen initially set out to be an artist. "But I didn't have what it takes," she says, "because I don't like to starve." Indeed, her love of food combined with her aesthetic flair has led to a lifelong vocation as a cook, food stylist, and recipe developer. Martha Stewart discovered Spungen, then a young pastry chef, and hired her as the founding food editor of Martha Stewart Living; she stayed with the company for 12 years. She has since worked as a culinary consultant for such food-centric movies as Julie & Julia, It's Complicated, and Eat Pray Love. Her guide to entertaining, What's a Hostess to Do? (Artisan), can steer us through the do's and don'ts of summer parties. But remember, Spungen says, "there is no entertaining police. Don't be afraid to make your own rules."
