I’m Nicole Spiridakis, a writer, editor and recipe developer. Throughout my career I’ve contributed to many print and online outlets, including NPR Online’s Kitchen Window, the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Washington Post, Point Reyes Light, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and Reuters, among other local and national publications. For two years I wrote the monthly “Common Walls” column for the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Home and Garden section about the trials and tribulations of the apartment dweller.
I’ve lived in Washington, DC, where I worked for the Washington bureau of Reuters — I was a founding member of the team that produced the first incarnations of reuters.com — wrote features for the global wire and freelanced for DC-area newspapers and San Francisco, California, where I baked wedding cakes, copy edited for a financial firm, and wrote a variety of lifestyle stories from a portrait of my evolving San Francisco neighborhood for the New York Times to dishes made from ingredients literally pulled from my natural surroundings for NPR Online.
We recently spent five years overseas as part of the U.S. mission abroad (my husband was a Foreign Service with the Department of Commerce). We lived Casablanca, Morocco, where I spent a stint working for the State Department and immersed myself in North African cuisine; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where I learned to navigate prayer time closures and an incredibly unique culture all without the use of a car; and Sydney, Australia, where mornings were infused with the sounds of amazing bird life and the ultimate delicious espresso drink: a flat white.
I develop and publish naturally gluten-free, naturally sweetened recipes on my food blog, nicolespiridakis.com (aka this site), and when I’m not in the kitchen I’m usually out for a run, drinking coffee with my husband, entertaining our daughters, Sierra and Elspeth, or have my head in a book. We currently live in Sonoma County, California.
My cookbook, “Flourless. Recipes for Naturally Gluten-Free Desserts,” was published August 2014 by Chronicle Books.
This page contains a selection of my journalism from the last few years. Please contact me for more information about my work or to work together on a project. Read press mentions here.
+ My freelance work is in compliance with California Assembly Bill 5.
Clips
Food
Food and Nutrition content for Livestrong.com, 2019-2020
Heat Up the Flavor of Veggies on the Grill, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 8/20/19
No Sweat Sweets: Four Summer Treats that Skip the Oven, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 7/9/19
Gluten-Free Desserts a Natural Choice for Passover, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 4/23/19
As Mocktails Gain Popularity, Sonoma County Restaurants Take a Cue from Seasonal Produce, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 3/5/19
Winter Warming Soups, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 1/2/19
Easy Thanksgiving Sides That Will Delight Vegans and Traditionalists, Alike, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 11/13/18
Simple Swaps for Healthier Baking, AllRecipes Dish, 2017
Baking and Cooking with Coconut Oil, AllRecipes Dish, 2017
Tasty Gluten-Free Treats, AllRecipes Dish, 2017
Huckleberries Make for a Bay Area Late Summer Treat, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/23/2015
Yes, It’s Worth it to Make Your Own Yogurt, NPR Kitchen Window, 11/6/13
Gravenstein Apples: The End of Summer in a Fruit, NPR Kitchen Window, 9/25/13
Rhubarb Brings Spring to the Table, NPR Kitchen Window, 5/29/13
Nettles Bring Spring to the Kitchen, NPR Kitchen Window, 4/17/13
Passover Desserts Free of Flour, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/17/13
A Gluten-Free Holiday Table, NPR Kitchen Window, 12/19/12
Baking without Flour for the Holidays, NPR Kitchen Window, 11/28/12
How to Make Your Tofu and Eat It, Too, NPR Kitchen Window, 8/1/12
Power Puff: Flex Your Culinary Muscles with a Souffle, NPR Kitchen Window, 5/9/12
Doesn’t Take Much to Do it Yourself in the Kitchen, NPR Kitchen Window, 3/21/12
Baking without Flour Brings Sweet Results, NPR Kitchen Window, 2/15/12
Baking with Sweet Alternatives, NPR Kitchen Window, 12/28/11
Canning to Remember the Past, Welcome the Future, NPR Kitchen Window, 10/12/11
Summer is a Plum Good Time, Point Reyes Light, 6/11
Oh, the Things You Can do with a Farm-Share Box, NPR Kitchen Window, 6/9/11
Getting to the Heart of the Artichoke, NPR Kitchen Window, 4/6/2011
March Lingers On, Point Reyes Light 3/31/11
Homemade Candy Answers the Holiday Gift Question, NPR Kitchen Window, 12/17/10
Thanksgiving with a Lighter Touch, NPR Kitchen Window, 11/23/2010
DIY Wedding Cake: Secret Ingredient is Love, NPR Kitchen Window, 8/10
Feeding the Hungry Traveler, NPR Kitchen Window, 5/12/2010
Going with Whole Grains, NPR Kitchen Window, 1/05/2010
Cooking for One: A Privilege not a Chore, NPR Kitchen Window, 11/25/09
Trail Chef: Quinoa Soup, Backpacker Magazine, 11/12/09
Falling in Love with Lavender, NPR Kitchen Window, 8/19/09
Oh, Those Oysters, Slashfood, 7/9/09
Picnics Can be Moveable Feasts, NPR Kitchen Window, 7/8/09
Peanut Butter: More than Just a Sandwich, NPR Kitchen Window, 4/8/09
A Mighty Appetite: Saving the Best for Last, Washington Post, 3/11/09
Holiday Gifts Good Enough to Eat, NPR Kitchen Window, 12/10/08
Vegetarian Thanksgiving, NPR Kitchen Window, 11/19/08
The Many Faces of the Great Pumpkin, NPR Kitchen Window, 10/22/08
Camp Cooking Goes Gourmet, NPR Kitchen Window, 7/16/08
The Making of a Feta Fan, NPR Kitchen Window, 6/4/08
Quinoa breakfast porridge, Niagara Magazine, 5/08
Cauliflower: A Love Story, NPR Kitchen Window, 4/9/08
Whole Grains with Flavor, chow.com, 4/8/08
Vegan Valentine: Healthier Sweets for Everyone, NPR Kitchen Window, 2/6/08
Quinoa: A Sacred, Super Crop, NPR Kitchen Window, 10/31/07
Home and Garden
Common Walls: Noisy neighbors all too common in apartments , San Francisco Chronicle, 12/21/08
Common Walls: Dog owners have hard time finding rentals,
San Francisco Chronicle, 8/9/08
Common Walls: Spring lures a city girl out for country weekends, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/28/08
Common Walls: Kitchen? Who needs a kitchen, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/2/08
Home
for the holidays: Tasty treat sweetens Greek celebration, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/2/08
Common Walls: A small apartment Thanksgiving, with all the fixings, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/21/07
Common Walls: Turning scraps into compost is for the worms, San Francisco Chronicle, 10/20/07
Common Walls: A room of one’s own, even if it is a closet, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/19/07
Common Walls: When parents remodel a childhood home, adapt and enjoy, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/1/07
Counter Culture: A little herb garden can fit within the kitchen’s tight space, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/4/07
Cleanliness is next to … well, it’s a Good Thing, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/4/07
Oven envy can get you stewed, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/23/07
Emergency planning a simple fact of local life, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/2/07
Taking it to the rooftops: Things are looking up for urbanites, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/30/07
Decorating for two means having to mesh your tastes, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/9/06
Travel
Day Out: NOPA, New York Times, 8/12/07
Hungry? San Francisco, contributor, 2007
Features
If you are interested in reading these features, please email me for a pdf!
U.S. Climber Who Amputated Hand Says Was a ‘Blessing’, Reuters,
10/15/05
American Indian Museum Set to Open in Washington, Reuters, 8/30/04
U.S. Swimmer, Author Cox Seeks Colder Water, Reuters, 3/9/04
G. Love: Still Hustling, On Tap Magazine, 9/04
Little Feat: Still Kickin’ It, On Tap Magazine, 6/04
Laura Burhenn, On Tap Magazine, 11/04
A Delightful Garden Leads to a Career Change, Voice of the Hill, 8/04
Oh, What You’ll Find at Frager’s, Voice of the Hill, 9/03