United Way of Greater Mercer County Women’s Leadership Council will host a book signing with Leeann Lavin, author of “The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook

I am so honored to co-host a Homegrown book signing, talk and reading on Monday, December 17th   with the United Way of Greater Mercer County.

Princeton, New Jersey is a Currier & Ives hamlet this time of year, especially, so the event will be extra seasonally festive.  I’m driving with Mother, and my dearest garden design client, Maria—who by the way, made the introductions to effervescent and irrepressible Judy from United Way that made all this possible.

Undoubtedly, Maria is magic. I acknowledge her fairy godmother/fée marraine power and her support as a mentor and garden muse in The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook.  I so respect her input and wise counsel on all matters of taste.  She is peerless in her own homegrown cooking. She is a fabulous cook with Italian heritage and truth be told – her meatball mojo is a culinary potion, as well as many other homegrown, delicious, family recipes.

This will be a good day. And the last of the Homegrown book events until after the New Year.  So we’ll make it spectacular!

Here’s the news from United Way:

United Way of Greater Mercer County Women’s Leadership Council will host a book signing with Leeann Lavin, author of “The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook,” on Monday, kicking off with holiday afternoon tea at 3 p.m. at Nassau Inn, 10 Palmer Square. The event will be raising money for an early reading readiness program.

Guests will enjoy a traditional tea party while listening to Lavin talk about how the movement to eat what is grown locally is gaining momentum and how to incorporate this philosophy into our lives. To register, visit uwgmc.org/womens-leadership or contact (609) 637-4902. The cost is $30 per lady.

There have been a number of media news stories heralding this benefit—here’s one: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2012/12/princeton_restaurant_hosts_boo.html

Hope to see you in Princeton tomorrow.  If you are not local to Princeton and want to get a copy of the Hampton & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook, please contact me. 

Cheers to the first of the Holiday Homegrown events. 

The Perfect Holiday & Hostess Gift under $30 for Food & Garden Lovers Dreaming of Homegrown Recipes

Nick & Toni's Chef, Joe Realmuto with his inspired farmer, Scott Chaskey

The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook has "many a fascinating story told in this book and I suggest that you go right ahead and buy a copy for every foodie on your gift list. Locals will love it. As will native Long Islanders who now live “away.” People who visit our shores will also “eat it up," according to reviewer Stacy Dermont, Dan's Papers. She added: The Hamptons Homegrown Cookbook is sure to be the go-to gift of the season. No doubt it will appear beneath Christmas trees and Chanukah bushes." 

OK, it’s 12/12/12 – a truly lucky day signaling enjoyment, creative expression, rejuvenation.

There are Twelve Days till Christmas and Kwanza! And Hanukkah is almost a sweet, culinary memory.

Capture the lucky-day aura and discover the joy and creativity in The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook. 

It is the quintessential, enduring gift for everyone who lives a food and garden lifestyle because it is filled with nearly 30 curated food stories, delicious recipes and sumptuous photos.

You create a lasting memory every time the Food Book is opened. 

The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook captures the authentic, homegrown ingredients that are the hallmarks of the Island’s food culture -- captivating all who celebrate the continued, passionate interest in food, cooking, and artisanal ingredients, as well as a burgeoning interest in cultivating a Hampton’s lifestyle.

Pair the book with some local, artisanal ingredients from the book’s food artisans and the gift package is nothing short of a Holiday Miracle!

Featured chef, Keith Luce, for example, sells packaged flavored local sea salts in the The Jedediah Hawkins Inn The flavors include lemon ginger, duck wing and sun-dried tomato and balsamic vinegar, as well as plain salts.  

Chef Keith Luce in his kitchen garden - that he designed & nurtures

Jedediah Hawkins Victorian Inn

Anna Pump serving up her Homegrown food at Loaves & Fishes

Anna Pump, Loaves & Fishes. Photo: Lindsay Morris

Anna Pump's Cooking School at her charming Bridgehampton Inn. Photo Jennifer Calais Smith 

Anna & me/Author at Cooking demo & book signing

Or choose from a cooking class or world-class cooking utensils and tools found in the cornucopia of Chef Anna Pump’s Loaves & Fishes  

Or select from “the stylish, stemless Danish glasses – and most items found sopratavolo (on your table) at Chef Kevin Penner’s 1770 House and Cittanuova.

Create a Culinary Passport!

Include a gift certificate for any one of the featured restaurants – or for all the Homegrown restaurants – many have lodging too, including The North Fork Table & Inn, The American Hotel, Sag Harbor, The Maidstone & The Living Room and the Cuvee Bistro & Bar, GreenporterHotel

Foody's Chef Bryan Futerman & Hayground 's Jon Snow

Or enjoy the fun, open-mic nights at Foody's in Water Mill, dining on homegrown pizza made with local honey, tomatoes, and grilled in a cherrywood-infused oven!  

At Foody's for Homegrown photo shoot: me/author & Chef Bryan

The good-food stories of the area’s best chefs and the artisanal growers who inspire them will resonate for years to come.

And so will the homegrown recipes.

“Get the best ingredients and do as little as possible to them” is a tip from many of the Hamptons & Long Island chefs featured in the book.

The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook takes the reader on a private, intimate tour of outstanding chefs of the Long Island area and their gardens.

Each profile reflects the chef's personal style, cultural background, desire for healthy, just-picked ingredients, and gardening philosophy.

The Cookbook offers a unique opportunity to showcase the natural beauty, distinctive, inspired cuisine, food stories and recipes as told in the rare collection of chef and grower profiles celebrated in The Hamptons & Long Island Cookbook.

To order the book The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook at Amazon, B&N & local Independent Book Stores:

The book is available as Nook Book (eBook)

At the same time, contact the me/author via Facebook to secure an autographed copy!

"Like"but really Love :) the Homegrown book at:The Hamptons& Long Island Homegrown Facebook page

Food & Drink Gifts: Celebrate Homegrown Food & Recipes at Sickles Market 12/8

Karen Irvine wrote this news announcement for her Rumson Patch column about tomorrow's Book Signing at Sickles Market. 

Can’t say it any better – so here it is:

Two local authors will sell and sign their recently released books at Sickles Market, Little Silver, NJ, on Saturday, December 8, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The authors and their books are Leeann Lavin, Atlantic Highlands, the Garden State, Examiner.com Food & Drink editor and author of THE HAMPTONS & LONG ISLAND HOMEGROWN COOKBOOK (Voyageur Press 2012) 
and Karen Schnitzspahn, Little Silver, NJ, author of JERSEY SHORE FOOD HISTORY (The History Press 2012)

Both books will make ideal holiday and hostess gifts.

The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook is a collection of outstanding food stories and recipes from Long Island’s finest, pioneering locavore, homegrown chefs who give every plate a striking sense of place, and the farmers they work with to bring the freshest locally grown, sustainable foods to their menus. Filled with beautiful photographs and fantastic recipes, this book will be of interest to foodies, home cooks, gardeners and chefs everywhere and will make a beautiful gift for the holidays.  

Jersey Shore Food History: Victorian Feasts to Boardwalk Treats explores the delicious history of a coastal cuisine. No trip to the Jersey Shore would be complete without indulging in the cuisine that helps make it famous. These foods enjoyed today are part of a long tradition beginning in the Victorian era, when big oceanfront hotels served elaborate meals. Diverse dishes and restaurants emerged during prohibition and the Great Depression, when fast food appeared and iconic boardwalk treats developed. Predating the farm to table movement, fancy and fast eateries have been supplied by local fishermen and farmers for decades. So whether indulging in a tomato pie, pork roll or saltwater taffy, this mouthwatering historical tour, stocked with plenty of photographs and recipes, discovers timeless treats from Sandy Hook to Cape May.

Karen Irvine Rumson Patch post:

http://rumson.patch.com/announcements/two-local-authors-to-sign-books-at-sickles-market