Gourmand Awards Honor World’s Best Cookbooks
On July 1, the Gourmand Awards were presented at La Comédie Française in Paris, recognizing the world’s best cookbooks. Among the U.S. winners were Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris by Clotilde Dusoulier (Broadway), Fat by Jennifer McLagan (Ten Speed) and Food Jobs by Irena Chalmers (Beaufort Books). The full list of winners is available here.
Cherries in Summer
Doubleday hosted a luncheon for Cherries in Winter: My Family’s Recipe for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colón at Landmarc in Manhattan on July 15. Colón, formerly an editor at O, wrote the book when she was laid off from her job last fall and learned to save money by cooking from her grandmother’s recipe file. Colón gave every guest a plastic-wrapped package of homemade butter cookies (recipe courtesy of her grandmother), and is pictured here showing her recipe scrapbook along with the Cherries in Winter galley (the book pubs in November).
Schmidt Makes First Kyle Books Acquisition
Last week, Anja Schmidt made her first acquisition as publisher of Kyle Books: Nick Malgieri's Baking Essentials. Schmidt and Malgieri worked together on The Modern Baker at DK. “I am thrilled to have brought him over to Kyle Books, especially as my first acquisition,” she said. The book will explain 20 essential techniques for perfect sweet and savory baking. Publication is scheduled for October 2010.
Barbara Lynch Stirs Up Tribeca
On July 16, Houghton Mifflin feted Barbara Lynch, author of Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition, which the house will publish in November, at Locanda Verdi in Manhattan. Guests nibbled on roasted clams with spicy tomato sauce, brioche pizza with fresh ricotta, and roasted corn and tomato lasagnettes. Pictured here, in the restaurant’s courtyard, are publicity manager Alia Hanna Habib and Lynch.
DiSpirito Now at Ballantine
Anyone who follows Rocco DiSpirito on Twitter knows he’s lately been asking for requests for classic comfort foods that people would like to see healthy versions of. Now it’s obvious why: he just sold his next book, tentatively titled Rocco’s Great American Meal Makeovers, to Ballantine Books. Pamela Cannon made the deal for North American rights with David Vigliano of Vigliano Associates. The book was reportedly inspired by DiSpirito’s appearances on The Biggest Loser, where he taught contestants how to cook their favorite meals—like fried chicken and macaroni and cheese—more healthfully. DiSpirito’s previous books have been published by Hyperion, Meredith, Scribner and Wiley.
