To thank me for making a dessert "almost as good as Fred's mother's," Marilyn sent me a copy of her new book, "Savoring Mexico." A big, glossy coffee-table affair, produced for Williams-Sonoma by Weldon-Owen, the book promised hours of armchair travel and culinary adventure; it seemed a gift way out of proportion to the humble mixture of dried plums and whipped cream I had provided. But Marilyn is just one of those people for whom life is like an endless potlatch: She perpetually gives more than any of us can ever give back.

"Sometimes I think Marilyn should just slow down and not do so much for others, but I know that's not her style. She just gives and gives," says chef Christine Keff, who owns Seattle's Flying Fish and Fandango, and has traveled extensively with Tausend.

An enthusiastic proponent of Mexican food and culture, Tausend has sojourned to Mexico regularly since the early 1980s. She has been a consultant to José Cuervo International, Goya Foods and other companies specializing in Mexican products. And for 15 years Tausend has guided tours through the countryside, tours that have been featured in Gourmet, Travel & Leisure and Food Arts magazines.

"Before I even thought of opening Fandango," says Keff, "I told Marilyn I felt like taking a trip. I hadn't been anywhere in 10 years and I wanted an extended trip of six weeks or so. In about five minutes, Marilyn had it all worked out, where I would go, who I would meet, and what sorts of foods I would discover, the reservations, everything. She was amazing."

(Cheese-Stuffed Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon) Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 3 chilies chipotles en adobo, finely chopped 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the chilies 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon minced lime zest 12 medium-thick slices lean bacon, cut in half crosswise 24 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied with tails attached Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 1/2 cups shredded Manchego, Monterey jack or other good melting cheese About 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1. In a bowl or food processor, combine the mayonnaise, chilies and adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice and lime zest and stir or process to mix well. 2. Lay as many bacon slices as will fit in a single layer in a large, heavy frying pan and cook over medium-low heat until opaque but still soft, about 5 minutes. Press down with a spatula to keep the bacon flat. Transfer to absorbent paper to drain. Wipe out the pan and cook the remaining bacon in the same way. 3. Dry the shrimp with paper towels. Sprinkle with pepper and stuff with cheese. Push the sides together and wrap with cooked bacon slice, covering all the cheese so it wonąt melt out. If necessary, secure with a toothpick. In the same frying pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add a few of the bacon-wrapped shrimp and fry, turning frequently and adding more oil as needed to prevent sticking, until the bacon is browned and the shrimp are pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to absorbent paper. Repeat until all shrimp are fried. 4. Serve the shrimp on plates and accompany with the chipotle mayonnaise. Print friendly version.

Keff went from the Yucatan to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Vera Cruz and Puebla on a culinary tour not unlike the one outlined in "Savoring Mexico." Later trips with staff from Fandango deeply informed the menu there.

Oregon chef Claire Archibald, whose Café Azul was recently ranked among Gourmet magazine's Best 50 Restaurants in America, says she doesn't usually like tour guides, "but Marilyn is different. She takes you where you need to go and allows you to make the contacts you need to make. Then, if you return on your own or with your family, you'll know exactly where to go and you won't waste time or money wandering around looking for what you really want to see."

"Savoring Mexico" is Tausend's third book, following "Mexico the Beautiful," published in 1981, and "Cocina de la Familia," published in 1997. Like the "Beautiful" cookbook, this new one is chock full of gorgeous color photographs by Ignacio Urquiza and, like the nationally acclaimed "Cocina," it resonates with Tausend's deep appreciation of the Mexican people and their food.

"I am not Mexican by birth, heritage or citizenship," writes Tausend, "but my relationship to the food of Mexico now spans more than half a century . . . My father was in produce and I grew up following the Mexican migrant workers' rhythmic cycle of the growing season throughout southern Texas, southern Idaho and California's central valley, and I learned about food by sharing meals with the Mexican-American migrant workers."

After raising her own children in largely Scandinavian and Yugoslavian communities, Tausend "set out to rediscover these foods of my past." With Fred, she started traveling to Mexico, and early on she joined forces with Diana Kennedy, widely regarded as the world's leading authority on authentic Mexican cooking.

"Diana is really how I got into all this," says Tausend. "I was afraid to contact her, but we were in the state of Michoacán where she lives, and Fred looked her up and gave her a call. Diana was hosting Alice Waters at the time, and it wasn't really convenient for her to meet us. She said, 'Did you send a letter of introduction?' And of course we hadn't, but it turned out that Fred had done some political work with some people she knew and admired, and I had been working for Booth Gardner and she knew him, so somehow we made a connection and we were able to see her."

Before long, Diana Kennedy and Marilyn Tausend were fast friends, and when Kennedy suggested that she and Tausend conduct some tours together, Tausend took her up on it. The rest, as they say, is history. But it's really more than just history. Tausend and her tours offer an open door into a culture that is simultaneously ancient and modern, exotic and familiar. "Savoring Mexico" is a window into Marilyn's world.

Greg Atkinson, Canlis executive chef, is the author of "The Northwest Essentials Cookbook" (Sasquatch Books, 1999). More information about Tausend's tour company, her books, restaurant recommendations and seasonal recipes can be found at www.marilyntausend.com.