Aleksandra Dominique Crapanzano is a journalist, screenwriter, cookbook author, and consultant.

Education

Aleksandra received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and her M.F.A. in Film from N.Y.U., where she later taught the advanced screenwriting seminar for graduate students. She attended The Trinity School in New York and École Jeannine-Manuel (previously called École Active Bilingue Jeannine-Manuel) in Paris.

Film

Aleksandra began her career working for film luminaries Frederick Wiseman, David Mamet and Mike Nichols.  Her day job while finishing graduate school was field producing full-hour CBS TV specials for Martha Stewart and as a long-form story producer for ABC news.  Her thesis film won a Cine Golden Eagle.  Aleksandra has written original and adapted screenplays, rewrites and polishes for Fox Searchlight, Focus Features, Miramax, Participant, FineLine, Harpo, MRC, and, in France, for Vendome, and, in the U.K., for Ealing Studios and Recorded Picture Co.  She has written for wonderful producers such as Nick Wechsler, Claudia Lewis, John Lyons, Anne Carey, Stanley Tucci and Barnaby Thompson.  Aleksandra’s feature, VINE, set in the wine world of Bordeaux in the face of climate change is being produced by Elizabeth Cantillon and Aimée Peyronnet.  Her television series, BASTILLE, is in development with Nicky Weinstock.

Books & Journalism

During the Writer’s Guild strike of 2007, Aleksandra began writing the food column for The New York Times Magazine and, what began as a temporary aside, turned into a full-fledged side career.  Ruth Reichl then asked her to write for Gourmet, and her essays for the magazine led to Aleksandra receiving the M.F.K. Fisher Award for Distinguished Writing from the James Beard Foundation.  When Gourmet shuttered, she was approached by The Wall Street Journal, where, from 2010 to 2025, she has written a food column and covered cooking, restaurants, spirits and cocktails, food sustainability, design, fashion, beauty, fragrance and travel. She is the author of The London Cookbook and Eat. Cook. L.A, both published by Ten Speed Press/Random House.  Her most recent book:  Gâteau (Scribner) received the prestigious Best in the World in Pastry from the Gourmand Global Cookbook Awards, presented by Edouard Cointreau of Cointreau-Rémy Martin, topped the Epicurious chart of Favorite Books and Favorite Recipes of the Year and was a national bestseller.  Published to rave reviews, she did four straight months of publicity, including interviews on most every major food podcast and radio show in the country, from Milk Street to Splendid Table.  Her next book, Chocolat, also for Scribner, will be published in October 2025, and she will publish Les Tartes et Les Galettes with Scribner in 2027. Her work has been anthologized, most notably in Best American Food Writing, and her essays may be found in most of the major magazines, including The Atlantic, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Elle, Marie Claire, Vogue, Departures, Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, Garden & Gun, Narrative and, online, in Air Mail, Food52, Epicurious and The Daily Beast.

Beauty & Perfume

Aleksandra’s reporting, profiles and personal essays on beauty, style and fragrance have appeared extensively in The Wall Street Journal, Elle, Marie Claire, Departures and Air Mail. 

Consulting

Aleksandra consults in the food space in the U.S. and the U.K. advising restaurants, start-ups and investors, and, pro-bono, on issues of sustainability, climate change and green sourcing.  She consulted on the launch of Marc Lore’s company Wonder, which, during her tenure, jumped from 400 million dollars to 800 million dollars in seed money.   As Culinary Urban Planner, she advised the real estate giant, Tishman Speyer in rethinking the restaurants and spaces at Rockefeller Plaza and The Spiral.  She has also advised private investors on opportunities in CPG, wellness and beauty. Aleksandra served on the board of Bubbles, now a part of Edible Schoolyard and advised Hungry on their national launch.  Currently, she is on the board of Naturally New York, where she mentors entrepreneurs in the food, beauty and wellness space.

Representation

Aleksandra is represented for books by Eric Simonoff at William Morris Endeavor, and for movies and television by Sandra Lucchesi at The Gersh Agency in Los Angeles.  Andrew Hurwitz at Frankfurt Kurnit is her film attorney.  

She is frequently asked to speak on panels and at conferences and festivals.

Personal

Aleksandra grew up in New York, London and Paris and is bilingual.  She now lives in New York with her husband, the writer John Burnham Schwartz, their son Garrick, and their dog, a Bouvier des Flandres, Bison.