Michael W. Twitty is an African-American Jewish writer, culinary historian, and educator. He is best known for his work exploring the intersections of food, history, and identity. Twitty's debut book, The Cooking Gene, was published by HarperCollins/Amistad and received significant recognition in the food writing world. The book won the 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Book of the Year, as well as the award in the writing category, establishing Twitty as an important voice in contemporary food literature and historical narrative.