Kay Goldstein

Kay Goldstein was born Kathleen Gurley in Lexington, NC but spent a lot of her growing up years in Buffalo, NY. It was there, living in a working class neighborhood in her grandfather’s house that she learned about ethnic food and cultures. It was to become a lifelong passion. Returning to the South as a teenager (practically a foreign country to a city- raised kid) and as a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she came to appreciate Southern small town life, the taste of Lexington hickory smoked barbecue and the slower pace of the countryside.

In 1976, Atlanta became home to Kay and her husband, Buck. She practiced psychotherapy for a number of years while occasionally catering small events for friends and selling pasta handmade in her kitchen. In 1979 she founded Proof of the Pudding, Atlanta’s first gourmet takeout store and catering business offering innovative American and fusion foods.

Kay's client list included most major institutions in the city and their honored guests including international celebrities such as Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, the BeeGees, Judy Chicago, Paloma Picasso, President Carter, Andrew Young and Julia Child. She expanded her business to include a restaurant in the Memorial Arts Center and became the exclusive provider of food services at the Carter Presidential Center.

In 1990, Kay sold her position in the company to spend more time with her growing family. She began writing, and edited the first three Zagat Surveys for Atlanta and won a national culinary competition for professionals. In 1993, she published with co-author Liza Nelson and photographer Al Clayton, A Book of Feasts, Recipes and Stories from American Celebrations (Longstreet Press) which was nominated for a James Beard award.

She has served as President of Les Dames d'Escoffier and as a regional judge for the James Beard Awards.

Kay continues to write poetry, essays, memoirs and fiction and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post writing about meditation and spiritual practice in daily life. In addition to her writing, Kay teaches a form of Taoist meditation which she has practiced for over 16 years.

Kay is married to Buck Goldstein and has two children, Katherine(25) and Max(22).