She’s one of the giants of food writing. Betty Fussell is the author of 12 books, ranging from biography to cookbooks, food history and memoir.

She is a noted expert on the history of corn. She has written extensively on the subject and devoted two books to corn: The Story of Corn and Crazy for Corn. In her autobiographical book, Kitchen Wars, she discusses not only cooking and its importance to her life, but details of her personal life.

We spoke with her in a wide-ranging conversation at her Greenwich Village townhouse only weeks before her move to California.

It was a privilege to spend some time with her.