Aviva Goldfarb: Family Dinner Expert, Author, Entrepreneur, Mother and Creator of the Six O’Clock Scramble

A freelance writer, advocate for better nutrition for children, and mother of two, Aviva started the Scramble in 2003. She runs the day-to-day operations and creates Scramble recipes in her own kitchen.

Debuting in April 2010, Aviva’s latest cookbook SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families (St. Martin’s Press, 2010) meshes her roles as Family Dinner Expert and environmentalist.  In addition to more than 300 recipes, the book, named one of the best cookbooks of 2010 by The Washington Post, addresses how families can make their meals more environmentally-friendly, including buying seasonally; eating less meat, differentiating when organic matters and offering tips for avoiding food waste. Aviva is also the author of the Six O’Clock Scramble cookbook (St. Martin’s Press, 2006).

Aviva is also a weekly contributor to PBS Parents Kitchen Explorers, is a featured chef on PBS.org, writes often for Kiwi magazine, is frequently quoted in national parenting, lifestyle and health magazines and appears regularly on television to discuss healthful recipes and meal strategies for busy families.

Aviva is active in the local and national movement to improve school lunches, make food sources healthier and safer for people and the environment, and alleviate hunger.

Before having children and learning to cook, Aviva specialized in media relations for nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC. She is on the Board of Sinai House, a transitional house for formerly homeless families, where she also lead cooking classes. Aviva lives with her family in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

People often ask me if I'm a chef, which I'm definitely not. Like most Scramble subscribers, I'm a home cook with a simple kitchen. I like to make the best, healthiest recipes with the least amount of effort and ingredients, so I have time to do other things I love, too. I have plenty of recipe disasters and successes, but like my husband, Andrew, sometimes says, "We choke it down, so you don't have to!" In other words, I only share the absolute best recipes with Scramble subscribers.

Dinner time is almost sacred at our house. I start cooking every night at 6 or 6:30, and at 7:00, we all sit down together for a healthy meal. It's a time that we all stop what we are doing and spend time together--even the dogs get into the act, waiting under the table in case any of us drops a morsel.

I love to make healthy Asian and Southwestern fare, but I also love combing cookbooks and websites from across the globe to get ideas for International flavors and combinations that can still meet The Scramble's criteria of easy, healthy and delicious.

I remember when subscribers first started flooding in from the Oprah magazine article, and didn't stop flowing for a couple of months. It was then I knew that The Scramble had reached a whole new level and I might be able to keep doing what I loved for at least a while. Nearly every day, I receive emails from satisfied subscribers, and it really keeps me energized and inspires me to be creative and keep producing the best recipes and online menu plans for families that I possibly can--I don't want to let thousands of subscribers down!

Contact her at aviva@thescramble.com.