We sadly note the passing of Marisa Bulzone

On December 19, 2018, Marisa Bulzone died at age 60. She was a dedicated, accomplished and inspirational creative force, devoted to Murray Hill and loved by all who knew her.

Marisa and Francesca Pardo, her friend of 28 years, co-founded the weekly e-newsletter 150ish, which showcases food artisans working within 150 miles of NYC. Marisa and Francesca shared their passion for great local food resources with their friends and families for years. They created 150ish so that they could also share it with everyone.

150ish came out of Marisa’s career as a publishing professional and her extensive experience editing cookbooks and other trade non-fiction. She worked with many of the world’s best chefs and food personalities, sharing their passion for food. Over her 35-year career she held executive positions at Hearst Books and Stewart, Tabori & Chang. She edited authors such as Alton Brown, Sara Moulton, Melissa Ben-Ishay, and Peter Callahan. Marisa was highly regarded in her field, and everyone she touched enjoyed working with her.

Marisa was a trustee of The Murray Hill Neighborhood association for several years. She was given the MHNA’s Community Award in 2018 for her work to keep 34th Street a two-way street and to make sure that all buildings on 34th Street had access to the street during the three-year 34th Street reconstruction. She also set up the system for the Silent Auction at the annual MHNA Street Festival and worked with the Preservation & Design Committee to produce the note cards depicting Dean Avery’s drawings of buildings in historic Murray Hill. These cards are still available for sale on the MHNA website catalog.

Photo: Marisa Bulzone (right) and Joe Di Domenico in 2006 at an MHNA event at The Morgan Library& Museum.