Some of Barbara’s writing
The items on this page are not in any chronological order.
Book
Wolfgang Puck’s Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen
This first book carrying the Wolfgang Puck name, was a collaboration between Wolfgang and Barbara.
His fabulous cooking talents and recipes were brought to the printed page for the first time with Barbara Lazaroff’s words to convey his style as she penned the foreword, chapter introductions, and his acknowledgements.
As People magazine wrote on March 26, 1984:
Several months after meeting Puck… “She coerced Puck into letting her redo his kitchen; they collaborated on a cookbook (Wolfgang Puck’s Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen) and began living together.”
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Copyright: 1981
Book Foreward
Does ghost writing a foreword count as writing?
The book: Maida Heatter Cookies
The foreword begins…
Maida Heatter is the fairy godmother of anything sweet, spicy crunchy, chewy, or fluffy that you could possibly imagine baking. In Greek mythology, Maida, with her elegant halo of silver hair, would have been known as goddess Alphito, the symbol of flour and lady guardian of the mill. In any culture her art form is purse ambrosia. She is irrefutably an American culinary icon. Most importantly for us (and for anyone who has had the immense pleasure of knowing her and being the recipient of her tasty offerings), she is a delicious and terrific friend.
Now, Maida is not a cream puff. No, she could be more likened to one of her intriguing cooking; a crisp diner snap seasoned with pepper and mustard, offering a complexity of textures and flavors in a single meaningful bite. Maida will always tell you forthrightly what’s on her mind — that is, if she likes you enough. If not, she won’t waste her time. She’d rather be baking!
We first met Maida in 1979, when she agreed to teach a class at Ma Cuisine, the cooking school affiliated with Ma Maison in Los Angeles. …
Book
Wishes for a Mother’s Heart
Publication Date: April 7, 2011
Hay House
This inspirational yet practical paperback was co-written with friend and author Tricia LaVoice, foreword by Leeza Gibbons.
“A heartwarming book of inspirational ‘Wishes,’ intuitive and experiential wisdom, and pragmatic actions; for creating, maintaining, and expanding the connections with all the women in your life.
A lasting gift of love that can be enjoyed for years to come by ALL the women in your life; moms, daughters, sisters, mentors, your children’s teachers….
For more about this book, visit WishesForTheHeart.com.
If you would like to share a wish, please go to our Facebook page, Like the page, then post your wish.
Some words from Barbara Lazaroff
Wishes for a Mother’s Heart is the brainchild of my friend Patricia LaVoice; a brilliant concept that was initially born out of love and profound friendship.
During one of the most trying periods of my life; having recently lost a dear friend, enduring the disappointment of divorce, living with everyday pressures of my businesses, as well as trying to be a good mother, daughter, and friend, Tricia conceived a unique and enduring gift of love. She had decided to write me a beautiful wish of support and inspiration every evening for the month of September. She offered, “I will be your sounding board; I will not only be the best listener in the world, I will ‘wish’ you something every night.” As the weeks progressed, I found myself wondering what that evening’s wish would bring.
At the end of the month, I received a stunning bound book with all of the month’s wishes. I told Tricia that I thought this idea would make an extraordinarily beautiful book if published one day. She, however, felt September Wishes was born out of deep friendship and should remain private.
Soon after, our dear friend Leeza Gibbons was experiencing some personal difficulties of her own and Tricia started writing loving and comforting words to her as well. Leeza came to feel as I did, that Tricia’s poetic insights and intuition needed to be shared with the world. It was then that Tricia began to write universal wishes that, although so many people can relate to them, they retain a touchingly intimate voice — as though she is speaking only to the reader. Leeza shared her perspective in the foreword of the book.
I am honored to add my life experiences and personal viewpoint, and am pleased to share a work of inspiration created from a place of friendship, trust and sisterhood.
~ Barbara Lazaroff
About the authors of Wishes For The Heart
About us, excerpted from Wishes For The Heart:
Tricia LaVoice ~ Wishmaker
“I write Wishes for those I love and to share with you. My friends, Leeza Gibbons and Barbara Lazaroff add their beautiful insights turning each Wish into a passage of wisdom. … As we began our voyage forward to release our book we ourselves have traveled through our own learning process both individually and together. It felt as though the universe would not grant us the privilege to share with you our inspirations and thoughts until we were fully committed to bringing more love and peace into our own lives. Three friends learning how to accept losses, let go of anger and fears, slow down and try to love without condition or judgment. Of course this is an ongoing process but we are committed to working at it each day and it is our hopes that you will join us.”
~Tricia LaVoice ~ Wishmaker
Barbara Lazaroff ~ Wishimagineer
“None of us are licensed therapists, nor are our lives “perfect” whatever that would look like. We are three friends, all mothers, married, some divorced, having experienced losses, loves, successes, failures and change. We are going to all give the best we can to enhance, inspire and hopefully positively affect people to change, grow, hang in there and even LAUGH.”
~Barbara Lazaroff, Wishimagineer
Article
Due North: The Imprint of Our Mothers — And Others in Our Lives
September 29, 2013, Remembering My Mother
Published September 27,2013
Updated December 7, 2017
Excerpt:
My mother was my due north, my compass in all things, my greatest cheerleader, my partner in mischief, the champion of my dreams, knowing when to advise and when to remain silent. She gave me permission to soar and was the proverbial “wind beneath my wings.”
I have always believed our lives are like inimitable jigsaw puzzles: our family, friends, colleagues and even those who swiftly flit in and out of our story shape and color this collage of our life puzzle. When someone leaves they take their version of your shared memories and experiences with them. We are always recalling our selective version of our lives. We sometimes choose to actively or subconsciously alter or forget some occurrences; some are too painful, other moments embarrassing, or we simply forget. Therefore I often believe we are our truest versions when we are open to viewing ourselves through the eyes of others as well. Their views can be tainted by their personal templates, but it all provides perspective. I have sometimes thought what life would be like if we could glue the back of that jigsaw together and keep it intact forever, and then I shudder, aware of all that we need to let go to move forward, to constantly create ourselves in an ever changing world.
You can read this article here.
Article
The ‘Drop Dead Pork Chops’ — Why Fight Cancer? — Sunday, July 28, Cal Spirit Food and Wine Festival at PDC
Published on September 27, 2013
Updated Sep 21, 2013
Excerpt:
In 2011 shortly before Mother’s Day, I wrote about the significance of mothers in all of our lives; my beautiful and valiant mother, Ellie, was fighting lung cancer at the time, but I chose not to mention her struggle. This Mother’s Day as I wrote about my mother and the importance of all of our mothers once again, my mother had finally lost her valiant battle with cancer. The article was printed and so many women emailed me and called — those I knew and many I did not, but they all identified with the sentiments and many told me their stories, needing to express themselves to console and be consoled. I had wanted to express and share my love and loss with others who had experienced the absence of their mom, or were confronted with the imminent departure of their mothers due to illness or age. Mom was courageously battling Stage IV lung cancer, and managed to survive for three and a half years, hovering in the seven percentile of people who live that long with advanced stage metastatic lung cancer.
September 29, 2012 at precisely 3 p.m. my mom passed away in her bed at home surrounded by her family. I am left with the legacy of a lifetime of memories and over 400 condolence letters and donations that I have read, but may never fully be able to approach and properly acknowledge. The funeral was stunning, befitting the queen of a mother, warrior and friend she was to so many. The video will hopefully connect my grandchildren, not yet conceived, to this remarkable woman. But mom is gone and what I long for the most— her touch, a new memory and a new piece for my life puzzle with her cannot be created. Now I take solace in hearing stories about her, other people’s experiences and memories with her, and it always brings a new piece to that puzzle legacy.
You can read this article here.
Article
That Other Holiday, Father’s Day: Honoring the First Man of Significance in Our Lives
There are many families who just want to be together without the pressure of worrying, “Is this enough?” Holidays of all sorts come with huge expectations and, too often, anxiety and disappointments.
Published June 14,2013
Updated August 14, 2013
As Jeremy Reynalds suggests, Father’s Day has long “played second fiddle to Mother’s Day,” one of the most commercially successful holidays in America. An estimated $18 billion was spent last year for flowers, gifts, clothing, jewelry and dining experiences on Mother’s Day. The predictable “Daddy Tie” and new socks hardly compare, and there are significantly less reservations made on Father’s Day in comparison to Mother’s Day, (which is certainly one of the biggest days of the year for restaurants), and perhaps that is just perfectly fine with Dad.