About Braiden Rex-Johnson
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I was born and raised in Philadelphia, where I learned to appreciate shopping at the local farmers’ market, my mother’s soft-shelled crabs, real Italian food, and beefsteak tomatoes from an early age.  Sixteen years in Dallas adapted my palate to the spicy goodness of southwestern and Tex-Mex cuisine.

My husband, Spencer Johnson, and I made a bold move to Seattle in 1990, rented an apartment just a tomato toss from the city’s beloved Pike Place Market, and I’ve been writing about Pacific Northwest food and wine ever since. In the process, I’ve become the best-selling author of six books, including the Pike Place Public Market Seafood Cookbook, Gift Edition (Ten Speed Press, 2005) and the Pike Place Market Cookbook, Second Edition (Sasquatch Books, 2003). Other titles include Inside the Pike Place Market: Exploring America’s Favorite Farmers’ Market (Sasquatch Books, 1999) and That’s Fresh: Seasonal Recipes for Young Cooks (Sasquatch Books, 1995).

My seventh, break-out book, is entitled, Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. It will be published by John Wiley & Sons in the fall of 2007, and after three years of research, writing, editing, and production, I can hardly wait to hold the first copy in my hands.

I specialize in Northwest cuisine and wine, with a special knowledge and affinity for farmers’ markets, Northwest seafood, and the burgeoning Northwest wine industry. Since 2000, my food-and-wine-pairing column has been published quarterly in Wine Press Northwest, and I served as food editor at Seattle Homes & Lifestyles for five wonderful years, from January 2002 to December 2006.

I also enjoyed working as "Pike Place Market" and "Seattle Stockpot" columnist for both the print and online versions of CityFood (www.cityfood.com), based in Vancouver, British Columbia. I have been a frequent contributor to NW Palate, and written articles for the Seattle Times, Simply Seafood, Alaska and Horizon Airlines Magazines, Health, and Where/Seattle magazine.

My television appearances include "Destination USA: Secrets of Seattle" (Travel Channel), "Dining on the Train: the American Orient Express" (Food Network), “Home Matters” (Discovery Channel), the "Pacific Northwest Specialty Foods Show" (QVC), "S is for Seafood" (Seattle affiliate of Public Television), and "Seattle's Best Desserts" (Evening Magazine). Radio appearances include National Public Radio's “Morning Edition” with Susan Stamberg, "Poor Man's Kitchen" with Chef Brian Poor, and "Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen."

I am an active member of Les Dames d’Escoffier (LDEI), serving as International Liaison for the national organization and as co-chair of the Public Relations Committee for the Seattle chapter. I also belong to the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), and moderated “Cooking Up Culinary Fiction” for the IACP International Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2001. In 2006, I edited the Seattle Culinary and City Guide for the group’s 28th International Conference and organized a pre-conference tour of the Pike Place Market for 40 food professionals.

I am also a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR); the Portland Culinary Alliance (PCA); COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts; Phi Beta Kappa; and Friends of the Market (FOM), and serve as a judge for the James Beard Foundation annual awards.

I received a merit scholarship to the Symposium for Professional Food Writers at The Greenbrier in 1998, and have since attended the symposium in 1999, 2001, and 2003. I also attended the first annual Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley in 2005, and the Food Writers’ Retreat in Burgundy, France, in 2006.

Spencer and I still live in the same condominium building we first settled in as newcomers to Seattle in 1990. And you’ll still find me at the Pike Place Market several times a week soaking up inspiration for my writings on Pacific Northwest food and wine from the amazing array of farmers, fishmongers, chefs, and restaurateurs who populate its hallowed halls.