Helen M. Radics

cookbook author in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Helen M. Radics (born Ilona Szabo on May 21, 1946 in Hungary) is a Canadian cookbook author who has appeared on CTV News and her books were reviewed by The Record newspaper, and Life Magazine. She has been named the official spokesperson by Life Magazine for "Walnut Roll" for the 2010 Christmas Season. She is the author of a number of English-language Hungarian cookbooks.

She is also the producer and creator of her own cooking videos and online cooking show Cooking with Helen M Radics™ . Her contributions in spreading Hungarian culture outside of Hungary have been noted by the Hungarian National Tourism Board. Ms. Radics has instructed chefs in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Hungary and Cuba in Hungarian cooking, and she and her books have been featured on several cooking shows, CTV News and Life Network.

She established her cookbook company in 1990 and her books are all part of the Hungarian Heritage Recipe Library™, which is also her sole creation. Her video collection is also referred to as the Hungarian Heritage Video Library™©.

Please note that both Hungarian Heritage Recipe Library™, and Hungarian Heritage Video Library™ are ONLY featuring author Helen M. Radics' works. No other author is being featured by them.

Personal Life

Helen M. Radics was born as the youngest of 8 children, with her twin brother Sandor Szabo in Hungary. Her father Ferenc Szabo owned a vineyard, where he created his own label and sold it nationally. Her Mother, Zsuzsanna Szabo (née Zsuzsanna Tolnay) or aristocratic birth, was a homemaker as ladies of her time did not work outside of their home. On her mother's side, Helen M. Radics is related to famed Hungarian actress Klári Tolnay. She married Joe (Jozsef) Radics, a professional boxer for team Honved and a prominent architect, in 1966.

The couple was given a family notebook of recipes that Helen M. Radics' great-grandmother created in 1891, which inspired them to create a Hungarian heritage recipe book starting in 1967.

The author has one daughter, Helen Radics, who is also an author.