"Ive been entertaining Claire with funny food since we were dating. Our wedding announcement has a photograph of me with steak and spaghetti on my chest. Breakfasts are spontaneous using whatever ingredients are on hand—with no pre-planning.
My inspiration has always been making Claire smile."
Click here for a Q+A with Bill & Claire!
BILL WURTZEL was an award-winning advertising creative director by day and jazz guitarist at night from 1960 to 1989, when he switched to a music career and became an occasional consultant to his daughter's ad agency wurtzelinc.com.
Bill won over 200 ad & design awards including the Gold Lion by Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (Best Commercial, Olympic Airlines); and the ASIFA Gold (World's Best Animated Commercial, Hanes Hosiery). He was an art director at CBS TV, and Executive Creative Director at top New York ad agencies Lampert (where he was also president), Hicks & Greist and Ketchum NY.
As a jazz musician,he played for many years with the Count Basie Countsmen, Bill Doggett, and Jimmy McGriff among other jazz legends. Bill performs weekly at HENRYS, and the American Museum of Folk Art (see billwurtzel.com ). He is a founding director of the Jazz Foundation of America, which helps jazz and blues musicians in need jazzfoundation.org.
"Being bombarded with news about childhood obesity and the rise in childhood diabetes, we began to explore ways to use Bill's creative and joyful breakfasts to teach the importance of a healthy and balanced first meal of the day. All of Bill's breakfasts meet national guidelines for nutritious meals."
CLAIRE WURTZEL has been an educator for 40 years, supporting teachers who work with students struggling with learning and/or behavior difficulties. She was on the faculty of Bank Street Graduate School for 17 years and taughtand was chairof the Department of Special Education. She works with teachers, administrators, families, psychologists, librarians, and museum educators both nationally and internationally.
My mother, an immigrant from Poland, was very proud and delighted in sharing what she learned in nutrition classes. In addition to learning how to stretch meals when supplies were scarce during and after the war, she learned about the importance of a good breakfast and healthy food.
In preparation for Funny Food, I called my three siblings to check on my memory. Each added something. My sister mentioned that Mom learned to cook potatoes in their skins to enhance their nutritional value. My brothers reminded me that Mom learned the dietary value of raw vegetables and we all still enjoy eating raw cabbage, carrots, celery, green beans, turnips and peas.
My mother's openness to explore and change her long engrained cooking habits and her joy in learning how to prepare more nutritious meals are an inspiration to this day.
Claire and Bill have been married for 50 years, have two daughters, three grandchildren, and live in New York City.