Heatter was born in
Baldwin, New York, the daughter of radio commentator
Gabriel Heatter and Saidie Heatter (née Hermalin). She graduated from New York's
Pratt Institute in fashion design and began a career as an
illustrator of merchandising, then subsequently switching to
jewellery design, and then finally becoming a
baker and baking instructor. Her career as a professional cookbook author began when her skills in dessert making caught the attention of
Craig Claiborne, a former food section editor of the
New York Times. and his suggestion to her to write her own cookbook, Heatter began her decades-long career in teaching baking and writing cookbooks. Heatter's cookbooks have been the recipient of three
James Beard Foundation Awards, and she herself was inducted into the Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America in 1988. She was also inducted into the Chocolatier Magazine Hall of Fame. ==Personal life==