Contact: Carol Gifford

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A Mississippi State alumna returns to campus next month to discuss her work that has garnered media attention and favorable reviews.

Deborah Harris will discuss and sign copies of “Taking the Heat: Women Chefs and Gender Inequality in the Professional Kitchen” (Rutgers University Press) on April 5 at The Mill at MSU beginning at 6 p.m.

The university’s Department of Sociology, Gender Studies Program and National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center are sponsoring the presentation that is free and open to the public.

A Mississippi State doctoral graduate in sociology, Harris is an associate professor of sociology at Texas State University, where she studies gender dynamics in professional kitchens. She and Texas State colleague Patti Giuffre co-wrote “Taking the Heat.”

“I am extremely proud of Deborah’s work,” said Domenico “Mimmo” Parisi, NSPARC executive director and sociology professor at MSU.

“Her book has made her a star in sociology,” he said.

The book includes an analysis of both food writing pieces and interviews with 33 women chefs to understand the historical and contemporary conditions experienced by women chefs, Harris explained.

“We are excited to have Dr. Harris share her research and new book on women and gender inequality in the professional kitchen,” said Leslie Hossfeld, department head of sociology at MSU.

“Her work has been cited widely and featured on National Public Radio. It provides important contributions to understanding gendered organizations. We are fortunate to have such an accomplished scholar join us on campus,” she said.

Additionally, Harris will be meeting with MSU sociology students during her visit.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.