Margot threw herself into cooking full-time after working for many years in film production and publishing. Following a stint at a gourmet bake shop and catering business, and an apprenticeship in the kitchen of a private club in Manhattan, she landed a job at Union Square Café, where she went from prep cook to line cook in short order. She has raised a family; taught cooking classes; collaborated with her husband, Jim, on his book, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die (Workman, 2018); and written and self-published a cookbook, Simple Pleasures: Cooking from the Heart. Her first children’s book, When Grandmas Cook, was published by duopress (Sourcebooks) in 2024.