Mary Lou Heiss is co-owner and specialty foods buyer for Cooks Shop Here, a gourmet food shop in western Massachusetts. An enthusiastic chef and world traveler, Mary Lou has filled her store for the last thirty years with authentic international coffees, teas, and foods, demonstrating a passionate understanding of their rich historical and cultural origins. The store benefits from Mary Lou's frequent trips to Asia to collect an incredible variety of teas, which she sells in her store and through her website, CooksShopHere.com. Mary Lou is a member of Culinary Historians of Boston, Tea Council of the USA, International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), and California Olive Oil Council (COOC). She frequently gives lectures on tea, tea gardens, world cultures, Asian/world cuisines, and olive oil. When she is not traveling the world, Mary Lou lives in Massachusetts with her husband.Visit Heiss' blog, An Educated Palate, AnEducatedPalate.BlogSpot.com.