Catherine Kitcho, Author

Catherine Kitcho is an author, cook, business consultant and freelance writer, who has always been fascinated with the
creative possibilities of food. A prolific writer, she is the author of two business books and a novel, and has done
ghostwriting in the areas of business and biography. Catherine believes in keeping things simple and practical, and she
delivers information to her reading audience in a style that is clear, lively, and often humorous.

Catherine formerly owned a catering company, Five Star Kitchens, which she established to provide some more
interesting choices than tired old deli sandwiches for employees of companies. “I was in the corporate world for more
than 20 years, and sat through endless meetings where catered lunches were brought in. I guess I must have consumed
the same turkey on whole wheat about a thousand times, and I’d finally had enough. So, I ran the numbers, did my
business plan, and started the company. My focus was on corporate catering. I put together ethnic “menus” that
included more exotic variations of sandwiches, carrying the theme through the salads and cookies as well.” Catherine
learned a lot from that experience, and ultimately sold her accounts to a fellow caterer when she decided to return to the
corporate world.

“I’ve been a lifelong cook, and I love to experiment with new recipes, “ says Catherine. “I always seemed to have an
accumulation of leftover ingredients because I’d need just a little bit of something for the recipe.  When I had my catering
company, it was an even bigger problem. So, I decided to compile recipes by ingredient, just for my own use. Tomato
paste was the big one for me, but I added other things, like olives, wine, jam, and cheese. One thing led to another, and
on October 1, 2003, “The Use-It-Up Cookbook” came off the press. Now I can share these ideas with other cooks, and
encourage them to invent their own recipes, too. I want people to view these leftover ingredients as a creative medium,
not as just another thing to deal with in the kitchen.”

Table of Contents    Sample Chapter    Featured Recipe    Use-It-Up Tip

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Copyright 2004, Catherine Kitcho