Ironically, as it would turn out, my first impression of Maida Heatter was that she was meek.
At the behest of cooking school owner Peter Kump, I phoned to invite her to come to New York and teach classes. When she answered at her home in Miami, her voice was soft, her tone was questioning. It would be the only time in my experience that Maida was ever hesitant. When I responded in a similarly modulated way, she bellowed through the receiver, “PLEASE TALK LOUDER! I’M VERY HARD OF HEARING!”
