Cast Biographies

Christopher Kimball founded Cook's Magazine, a national magazine for cooking hobbyists, in 1980 and served as publisher and editorial director through 1989. In 1984, Chris founded the Who's Who of Cooking in America, which was initiated to honor America's leading chefs, restaurateurs, vintners, food writers, and food producers. Chris relaunched Cook's Magazine as Cook's Illustrated in 1993 and founded Cook's Country. Chris serves as publisher and editor of both magazines. Chris is the host of America's Test Kitchen, the top-rated cooking show on public television. He is also the host and executive producer of the TV show Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen. Chris is a regular contributor to The Today Show and has been featured in many publications, including The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times. He was inducted into the Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America in 1996. Chris is the author of The Cook's Bible, The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook, Dear Charlie (a Christopher Award winner), The Dessert Bible, The Kitchen Detective, and Fannie's Last Supper. He lives in Boston and Vermont.

Bridget Lancaster is the executive food editor for new media, television, and radio. She joined the Cook's team in 1998 and is an original cast member of both America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country television shows, as well as a cohost for the America’s Test Kitchen Radio program. Her career led her to work in various kitchens in the south and northeast, concentrating on pastry, and she has also taught culinary classes and given cooking demonstrations. Bridget’s husband is a professional chef, and along with their two sons, they enjoy working on their favorite hobby—barbecue.

Julia Collin Davison is the executive food editor for the cookbook division of America’s Test Kitchen and is an on-screen test cook for America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen. She also does cooking demonstrations, sells ATK Cookbooks live on QVC, and occasionally appears as a guest on the Today Show. She began working as a test cook for Cook’s Illustrated magazine in 1999, but is now responsible for the food and recipe development for all of the company's cookbooks. Before coming to America’s Test Kitchen, she worked in Albany, the Berkshires, San Francisco, and the Napa Valley at several restaurants, catering companies, schools, and wineries. Julia has A.O.S. degree from the Culinary Institute of America. Her husband, Ian Davison, is a fishmonger in downtown Boston, and they have one young daughter.

Erin McMurrer is the test kitchen director of America’s Test Kitchen and is responsible for managing the test kitchen and co-managing recipe testing and development for Cook’s Illustrated magazine. Since 2002 she has been responsible for co-running the “back kitchen” (where all of the food that appears on camera originates) for both television shows America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen. She is an on-screen test cook for Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen. She holds an A.O.S. degree from the Culinary Institute of America. Before coming to America’s Test Kitchen in 2001, she worked her way through different restaurants—most noteworthy was her time at Hamersley's Bistro, in Boston, where she spent eight years working under Gordon Hamersley.

Jack Bishop is the editorial director of America’s Test Kitchen. He joined the staff of Cook’s Magazine in 1988 and helped with the launch of Cook’s Illustrated in 1993. He established the tasting protocols used in America’s Test Kitchen and has authored dozens of articles for the magazine. Jack directed the launch of Cook’s Country magazine and oversees editorial operations at both magazines. He is the tasting lab expert on America’s Test Kitchen, the top-rated cooking show on public television, and Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen, which debuted in September 2008. Jack edited The Best Recipe (1999) and established the book division at America’s Test Kitchen. He is the author of several cookbooks, including A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, Vegetables Every Day, The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, Pasta e Verdura, and Lasagna. Jack’s wife, Lauren Chattman, is a cookbook author and former pastry chef. They have two daughters.