Introducing people to the pleasures of Persian cuisine has been a lifelong mission for Najmieh Batmanglij. Her New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies was called "The definitive book of Persian cooking...not just a recipe collection but a fond introduction to a culture and a fascinating cuisine" by the Los Angeles Times, and her Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey was selected as one of the Vegetarian Cookbooks of 2004 by the New York Times. Her latest book, From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table was published in September 2006. WineState called it "Much more than just another coffee table decoration about wine and food, or both."

Najmieh Batmanglij has spent the past 26 years traveling, teaching cooking, and adapting authentic Persian recipes to tastes and techniques in the West. She is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier and has taught and lectured throughout the United States. She currently lives in Washington, DC, where she is teaching master classes in Persian cooking and is working on a new book for children to cook with the family. Her books include: Ma Cuisine d'Iran (Paris, 1984), New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies (Mage, 1992-2006), Persian Cooking for a Healthy Kitchen (Mage, 1994), A Taste of Persia: An Introduction to Persian Cooking (Mage, 1999-2007, IB Tauris, 1999-2007), Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey (2002, 2004).