Sneak Peek at Local Book Events
Melissa Mytinger, the events coordinator at Cody's Books here in Berkeley was kind enough to send me a sneak peek at upcoming book events related to food and cooking. Mark your calendars! Note that all of these are at the 4th Street store, and there's no charge unless otherwise noted.
Friday, October 18 JEREMIAH TOWER on JEREMIAH TOWER COOKS: 250 Recipes from an American Master. At last, a long-awaited new cookbook from the father of California cuisine and one of the most inventive and influential cooks in America. When Jeremiah Tower started cooking in California in the 1970s, fine food in America was typically a pale imitation of French haute cuisine. With the extraordinary fresh ingredients available locally, Tower experimented and invented and changed the face of American cooking. His new book is more than a cookbook to return to repeatedly. It reveals the author’s gift as a writer and storyteller, and is almost as rewarding to read as to cook from. Donald Sultan’s elegant still lifes further make this an exceptional book. Jeremiah Tower was chef at Chez Panisse, and opened Stars in San Francisco in 1984. His first book, New American Classics, won a James Beard Award in 1986 for best American regional cookbook; he also won the James Beard Award for best chef in 1996. He’s opened branches of Stars in the Far East and is the writer and host of the PBS series American’s Best Chefs. 7 PM at Fourth Street
Friday, October 25 JAMIE OLIVER - HAPPY DAYS WITH THE NAKED CHEF LIVE! Britain’s culinary boy wonder, Jamie Oliver, is 27, stars in three cooking shows, has written three cookbooks, plays drums in a band, and oversees the menu at Monte’s, a restaurant in London. He grew up in the restaurant business and heard his calling to food at a very young age. Joining his previous books, The Naked Chef and The Naked Chef Takes Off, is the new HAPPY DAYS WITH THE NAKED CHEF, filled with fantastic salads, pastas, meat, fish, breads, and desserts for all occasions – great food and good fun. Jamie will present a 30-minute live cooking show, featuring demonstrations, music and special effects. Seating will be available at 6 PM and is limited to ticket holders only; tickets are free with the purchase of any of Jamie’s three cookbooks and will be available beginning October 14. 7 PM at Fourth Street
Saturday, October 26 DAVID DOWNIE shows COOKING THE ROMAN WAY: Authentic Recipes from the Home Cooks and Trattorias of Rome. Easy to make, good for you, gutsy, flavorful and fun to eat – that’s author David Downie’s one-line definition of Roman food today. His is the first major cookbook on Rome to be published in the U.S. in decades, and it brings the luscious food and rich culinary culture of the Eternal City, a continuum spanning centuries that’s fresh and vibrant today. Downie, a San Francisco native and UC Berkeley graduate, has lived, studied and worked in Rome, Perugia, Padua and Milan. His food and travel articles appear in many publications, and he is the author of Enchanted Liguria: A Celebration of the Culture, Lifestyle and Food of the Italian Riviera, a collection of essays on Paris, and a thriller. Downie and his wife Alison Harris, food and travel photograph extraordinaire, divide their time between Italy, France and California.
“Cooking the Roman Way captures the ethereal essence of great Roman cooking…simple, beautiful and definitely authentic recipes. This is without a doubt the indispensable tome of Eternal City cooking.” – Mario Batali
“This is the book I’ve been waiting for. Who can resist the fascinations of Rome: its history and culture and of course its remarkable food. Bravo David and bravo again for such a lively and delicious gift to us all.” – Carol Field.
With little tastes from the book’s recipes, and with slides of photographs by Alison Harris. Note time: 4 PM at Fourth Street
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- Interview With Margarita Carrillo Arronte, Author Of Mexico: The Cookbook
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- Kermit Lynch In Berkeley
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- Jeremiah Tower Reminder
Just a quick reminder that Jeremiah Tower will be at Cody's next Friday night. I've been lucky enough to flip through the cookbook a bit, and it looks great. Lots of recipes I wanted to try, and an interesting glimpse into the history of California...