He is a pioneer of culinary literature in English. He was encouraged in this by correspondence with the writer
M. F. K. Fisher, to whom he dedicated his first book,
Dining with Headhunters:Jungle Feasts and Other Culinary Adventures. The author of more than a dozen books, Sterling has been honored by the
James Beard Foundation for his food writing, and he holds the
Lowell Thomas Award and the ForeWord Award for travel literature.
The New York Times book page dubbed him "Indiana Jones of
Gastronomy" for his willingness to "go anywhere and court any danger" for the sake of a good meal and a good story. He is also the principal author of
Lonely Planet's award-winning World Food series. He has appeared many times on TV and radio in USA, Europe, Australia, and Vietnam. He resides in Cambodia. Prior to that he lived and wrote in Vietnam, where his food and drink column "Sterling's Saigon" appeared monthly in
Asia Life magazine for 48 months. ==Selected bibliography==