But only after surviving a University of Chicago MBA and a career in marketing and finance on Wall Street did cooking became a serious career option.

In 1986, Keck won an apprenticeship at Le Grand Monarque in Chartres, France as the grand prize in the Flavors of France contest for her Marie Brizard chocolate torte recipe. This stage was followed by a year of internships in three other Michelin-starred restaurants. On returning to the United States, Keck created Savoir Faire Foods, a free-lance consulting business with primary projects in recipe development, new product development and marketing, food and demo styling, and culinary special events. Ms. Keck has styled segments for The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Today Show, Late Show with David Letterman, Linda McCartney, Antonio Banderas, and former Yankee second baseman Steve Sax, spokesman for the US Rice Council.

In 1993, Keck & partner Richard Barber, opened

New World Grill

a glass-enclosed gazebo-like structure on the southern end of the plaza at Worldwide Plaza. Keck's menu is a new world mix of styles - some Asian, some Southwestern - and represents a healthy approach to eating out. New World Grill has received glowing reviews from The New York Times, New York magazine, Zagat's, and The Healthy Guide to New York Restaurants. Ms. Keck has been honored as one of seven national finalists in the Gourmet Magazine/Evian Healthy Menu Awards and is a James Beard Foundation chef, a member of New York Women's Culinary Alliance, International Association of Culinary Professionals, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, and American Institute of Wine and Food.

She is the restaurant critic for Skiing America, and is featured in Great Women Chefs, New Classic Cocktails, and A Woman's Place is in the Kitchen. She is proud to support Women of Taste - A Collaboration Celebrating Women Quilt Artists and Chefs - and Girls Inc. Ms. Keck was honored by the 1998-1999 Daytime Emmy Awards for contributions to the Rosie O'Donnell show.

Lifestyle Professionals, Celebrity Chef,