Gloria Zimmerman Obituary

Gloria Zimmerman
Gloria Zimmerman, née Nadler, passed away on February 2, 2026, after a brief illness. She was 100 years old. In addition to her sons, Andrew and Marc, respectively of Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Hudson, Massachusetts, and their wives, Dao and Jacqueline; she also leaves her granddaughter, Phrao, of Boston; nieces, Dana Gross, of Pasadena, CA, Amy McCoy, of Danbury, CT, Barbara Tosk, of Kunming, China; nephews, John, of Stamford, CT, Bill, of Guilford, CT; and their spouses and children.
Gloria's parents, Harry and Lena Nadler, emigrated from Eastern Europe (the Pale of Settlement) and settled in New York City in the early 1900s. They raised two children, Beatrice and Gloria, in the Bronx. Although Gloria had strong recommendations from her teachers, during the Great Depression, her parents could not afford to send her to college. However, her typing skill led to her first job, working as a secretary in the New York City music industry, where she met luminaries, such as Ira Gershwin.
Like most of her generation, World War II had a great effect on her life. While visiting relatives in Hightstown, New Jersey, she met Benjamin Zimmerman, a U.S. Coastguardsman and Brooklyn native, home on leave who was also visiting his family. It was pretty much love at first sight. At the local swimming hole, she clinched the deal by feigning difficulty in returning from the raft to shore. Ben assisted her. He soon learned that she was an avid reader and left her a copy of War and Peace to keep her occupied until his next leave.
Not long after World War II ended, they married and moved from New York City to New Jersey. They eventually settled in West Orange, where they lived for almost 20 years and raised 2 children, Marc and Andrew. During those early years of marriage as a stay-at-home mother, raising two boys, she also found time to become an excellent cook. Her skill was epitomized by how much a dinner invitation was cherished by her sons' friends.
Inspired by dining in New York's Chinatown after visiting her parents or in-laws, Gloria studied Chinese cooking with Madame Grace Zia Chu, a renowned teacher, who had settled in New York City after World War II. Gloria served as Madame Chu's assistant, traveling with her around the United States, and eventually became a Chinese cooking teacher on her own.
In 1970, after both children had left home for college, she and Ben moved to Connecticut, where she continued to study and teach cooking. There she met Bach Ngo, a Vietnamese immigrant, who brought her collection of recipes to the United States. Together, they traveled around the country, giving cooking demonstrations and teach classes in Vietnamese cuisine. Eventually, they co-authored "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam," the first such book published in the United States. A Houston Chronicle reporter favorably compared Gloria's popularization of Vietnamese cuisine to what Julia Child did for French cuisine. In addition to Vietnamese and Chinese cooking, she also taught Thai, Italian, and French cooking at schools, department stores, and gourmet shops. She also led numerous gastronomic tours to regions of France and Italy.
Ben and Gloria loved to travel and started visiting Europe regularly. They made one trip on board the Queen Elizabeth II, where they learned that classes and lectures were part of their transatlantic entertainment. Upon returning home, she contacted Cunard Lines and the Queen Elizabeth II soon became her floating classroom and the highlight of many of their trips, which included at least one passage through a major hurricane. Their favorite countries were France and Italy. They enjoyed discovering new places and restaurants wherever they went.
Extremely outgoing, Gloria had a knack for making friends. In the supermarket, she would engage complete strangers to talk about the produce. Soon, they would be cooking and dining in her kitchen. Her home in Guilford, CT, was constantly abuzz with friends dropping by to cook, eat, discuss food, or just to engage in a friendly chat.
In Connecticut, Jacques Pépin came calling one day to meet her. Their families became close friends. The Hartford Courant reported on a speech that Jacques gave, in which he said that Gloria was the best home cook that he had ever known. She served as backstage kitchen coordinator for his first TV series and would refer to herself, saying, "I was the personal chef to the personal chef to three French Presidents." She also served as pastry chef at Gloria Pepin's French Cafe in Madison, CT. Her extremely sensitive taste buds made her advice highly valued by her friends and students.
Gloria appeared on TV with Bobby Flay when he brought his TV show on the road to New Haven. They went shopping together at an Asian grocery store and cooked Vietnamese dishes.
In addition to the country-wide road trips to teach Asian cuisine, she found time to edit several cookbooks, including "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller, "Flavors of France" by Alain Ducasse, and "The Bon Appetite International Pocket Food Guide". She also directed the Cuisinart, Inc., test kitchen.
A remembrance celebration of Gloria's life will be held in Guilford, CT, this summer.