Elizabeth "Liz" Margaret Clark, of Hamilton, Illinois, passed away on Monday, August 26, 2013 at the Montrose Health Center in Montrose, IA. She was born on October 8, 1944 in Keokuk, Iowa, the daughter of Margaret Ruhl Clark and Howard Clark. She graduated from Keokuk High School in 1963. Liz attended Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts and graduated with honors from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa in 1967. She did her graduate work at Drake, from 1970-71. Liz taught elementary art, high school art and high school English in Davenport, Iowa and Keokuk, Iowa. Liz was named to Mademoiselle Magazine's College Board in 1967. She was an exchange student to Italy in 1968 with the Experiment in International Living and did archeological digs in Sicily in 1969 with the Institute for International Education. Throughout her life she spent a large part of her time in both France and Italy. In 1971 she bought and renovated an 1847-1852 Italianate Villa-Style house on the bluff above the Mississippi in Keokuk where she began a private, by-reservation-only, restaurant. She started The Liz Clark Cooking School there in 1977. Liz received a diploma in Cours Intensifs from La Varenne in Paris in 1977. She studied at Moulin de Mougin in France in 1984 and took an intensive course at the Cooking School at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok in 1987. Liz was a founding member of The Society for American Cuisine and The Heartland Food Society, a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, American Institute of Wine and Food, and the James Beard Foundation in New York where she has been a presenter. She was showcased as one of the "Leading Chefs of the Midwest" by The American Institute of Wine and Food, in Chicago, November 1989. Bill Rice, editor of Food & Wine Magazine called Liz the "Julia Child of the Midwest." Liz was featured in numerous national magazines, TV shows and newspapers and her recipes have been used in several cookbooks. She is the author of Apple Companion, Fresh Bread Companion, and Cranberry Companion. She has been a quarterly contributor recently to Keokuk's online cultural and entertainment magazine, "The Confluence." Liz is survived by many loyal friends who helped her manage her recent days of poor health. She is also survived by her cats who were all rescued by her and were loved very much. At Liz's request her body was donated to the University of Iowa Medical School. A celebration of her life will be held on September 6 at 6:00 pm at the Keokuk Union Depot. Friends are invited to gather for dinner at that time and are invited to bring a favorite dish to share. Memorials may be given to the Keokuk Union Depot Foundation, P O Box 463, Keokuk, IA 52632.