Liza Gershman

Best-Selling Author and Winner of the Gourmand Cookbook Award (2018), Liza Gershman has nearly two decades of industry experience working in all facets of Commercial and Editorial photography and writing, including 12 published books and hundreds of newspaper and magazine stories. She specializes in Lifestyle, Food, and Travel. Her passion for people, culture and cuisine, has taken her to more than 51 countries and 47 U.S. States during her career.

Her 12th book, Cuban Flavor, has garnered many accolades, and has been featured on CBS, in National Geographic, Travel & Leisure, Budget Travel, NPR and many additional local and national publications and radio shows. Liza was honored to speak for Talks At Google, and on the prestigious campuses of Twitter, Oracle, and Disney to name a few.

As a photographer and Art Director, she regularly teaches, writes and presents for celebrated companies: Creative Live and Canon USA. She was honored to nationally launch the 6D for Canon, and the T6. Prior to that she worked as the in-house Senior Digital Photographer for Williams-Sonoma and continues to freelance for clients such as Goldman Sachs, Hyatt Hotels, Restoration Hardware, Safeway, Party City, Getty Images, AirBnB, Visa. In 2010, Liza was Governor Jerry Brown's campaign photographer, and in 2014 was a photographer for the RedBull Youth America's Cup.

She has been a regular contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle Travel Section, writing tips on top destinations for a monthly column called “5 Places”, and continues to write about travel, food and culture in articles and book form.

Many of Liza’s notable clients include celebrity chefs, restaurants, wineries, beverage brands, fashion brands, spas and hotels.

3 words to describe Nature? 

Beauty. Peace. Serenity

3 things Nature taught you? 

How to go into my inner self 

How to be still

How to observe

3 most treasured Nature spots? 

The Russian River in Sonoma County

The beaches of Nantucket 

The open skies of Wyoming

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...? 

Introspective

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...? 

Grounded and most like myself

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...? 

In awe

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...? 

Lucky to be part of the world, inside of a painting

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...? 

Excited! I love a great storm as long as everyone is safe

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...? 

Like getting under covers

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

Forest and lakes first, then ocean, then desert, but I love all of it!!!

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

11

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

Canoeing down the river. That's my happiest activity. Smelling the ferns and mint and redwood trees all around.