Our story.

Ripe is the product of a unique collaboration between writer Cheryl Sternman Rule and photographer Paulette Phlipot.

In 2008, Cheryl and Paulette met at a culinary conference in New Orleans and immediately hit it off. When they began brainstorming ways to work together in the months that followed, Paulette shared her long-held desire to photograph a fruit and vegetable coffee table book that would showcase common produce items in fresh, compelling ways. The pair ultimately decided to expand this vision into a color-drenched cookbook that would include Cheryl’s whimsical vignettes, accessible recipes, and practical ingredient combinations as well as Paulette’s powerful photography.

To produce the content for the book, Cheryl traveled to Paulette’s home in Sun Valley, and Paulette traveled to Cheryl’s home in San Jose. In addition to cooking and photographing when together, each worked on her own while the two were apart. Emails flew, and frequent phone calls kept the pair in sync.

Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables is the result of this joint effort, an effort supported enthusiastically by the dedicated publishing team at Running Press.

Cheryl Sternman Rule is an award-winning food writer whose work has appeared in a wide variety of national food media, including The Washington Post, EatingWell, Cooking Light, Health, Sunset, Fine Cooking, and more. She is also the author of Yogurt Culture, published in 2015 by Rux Martin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She lives in San Jose, California. To learn more, visit cherylsternmanrule.com.

Paulette Phlipot is an award-winning food, travel, and lifestyle photographer. She is a graduate of the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, B.C. Canada. In 2008, Paulette was awarded “Best of Show” at the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals conference. She is based in Sun Valley, Idaho. To learn more, visit p3images.com.