Penelope Casas was born in Whitestone, Queens, New York on May 25, 1943. She received a degree in Spanish literature from Vassar. She wrote numerous books on Spanish cooking in the hopes of clarifying the identity of Spanish food for Americans, who generally confused it with Mexican and South American cuisines. Her books include The Foods and Wines of Spain, Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain, Delicioso! Regional Cooking of Spain, Paella! Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain, and La Cocina de Mama: The Great Home Cooking of Spain. Her last book, 1,000 Spanish Recipes, will be published in 2014. The Spanish government awarded her the National Gastronomy Prize in 1983, in recognition of her role… as a herald of the Spanish cooking tradition in the United States. She died from complications of treatment for leukemia on August 11, 2013 at the age of 70.