Gil Marks, Jewish Food Historian And Author Of 'The Encyclopedia Of Jewish Food,' Dies At 62

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

After a three-year battle with lung cancer, Jewish food writer and historian Gil Marks has died in Jerusalem at the age of 62, reports The Times of Israel. 

Marks was the founding editor of Kosher Gourmet magazine and the author of several books on Jewish cuisine, including the cookbook Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities around the World, which won a James Beard Award in 2005.

In 2010, Marks published The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, which The Times of Israel calls "the first attempt within the American Jewish culinary community to compile a comprehensive reference guide for Jewish food." The compilation was nominated for a James Beard Award, and placed Marks on the Forward 50's list of the most influential Jews in America in 2010.

Marks was born in the United States and received his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, located in Washington Heights, New York. He became a citizen of Israel in 2012.