Presented by Book Passage at Left Bank, Larkspur
Tickets: $125 per person; $200 per couple (includes meal & book)
Please Note: This event is now sold out.
One of the 150 most important and influential books of the twentieth century (The New York Public Library), The Joy of Cooking has taught tens of millions of people to cook. Since 1931, the Rombauer-Becker family has revised and updated their bestselling cookbook—a book Julia Child called the “fundamental resource for any American cook.” Eighty-eight years after Irma Rombauer self-published the first edition, her great-grandson, John Becker, and his wife Megan Scott, have translated this comprehensive culinary resource for a new generation of home cooks, bringing the latest version of The Joy of Cooking into the future while drawing on the best of its storied past.
In the 2019 edition of Joy, readers will find many beloved recipes from previous editions retested and updated, as well as over 600 new recipes geared to modern tastes and the way we cook today. From quick, weeknight-friendly recipes and meals you can cook ahead to show-stopping, celebratory dishes and DIY projects such as fermenting foods and making sausages, the new Joy has dishes for every occasion, whim, and skill level. Each chapter has been thoughtfully reconsidered and improved upon, always with an eye to what has made Joy a practical, approachable, indispensable companion in the kitchen.
The 2019 edition features:
—A large selection of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free recipes;
—Baking chapters that include weight measures for greater accuracy and easier clean-up;
—“Streamlined Cooking,” a new chapter devoted to saving time, effort, and money in the kitchen;
—Expanded coverage of new ingredients and cooking techniques;
—A thorough, up-to-date nutrition chapter and food safety guidelines;
—New illustrations and beautiful chapter-opening papercuts that harken back to the artwork in the original Joy.
Irma Rombauer self-published the first Joy of Cooking in 1931. In 1936, the first commercial edition was published by Bobbs-Merrill. Marion Rombauer Becker, Irma’s daughter, helped revise and update each subsequent edition until 1951. The 1963 edition was the first after Irma’s death and was completely Marion’s. Her son, Ethan Becker, helped Marion revise the 1975 edition, and then oversaw the 1997 and 75th Anniversary editions. Ethan’s son, John Becker and his wife, Megan Scott are the first of the family to be solely responsible for testing, revising, and updating the book since 1975, ensuring the latest edition is given the same love and attention to detail that made this culinary resource an American classic.
Ethan Becker is the son of Marion Rombauer Becker and the grandson of Irma S. Rombauer, the original author of The Joy of Cooking. He attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, but learned how to cook from his mom. An outdoors-man, he is a master of the grill and at cooking game. His outdoor gear and survival and combat knives are sold internationally under the brand Becker Knife and Tool. Ethan and his wife, Susan, a writer, editor, and artist, live in East Tennessee at their home, Half Moon Ridge. His website is TheJoyKitchen.com.
John Becker, great-grandson of Irma Rombauer, grew up surrounded by the natural splendor of the Pacific Northwest. Spending his childhood between Portland, Oregon and the Becker family home in Cincinnati, John learned to appreciate a range of approaches to cooking. Influenced by his father Ethan’s improvisational style, and his mother’s love of international foods and spices, John has an insatiable curiosity when it comes to food and cooking. After earning an English degree, he helped publish seventeen collections of literary essays before dedicating himself to the family business and updating Joy for a new generation. John currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Megan.
Megan Scott started worked for the Joy of Cooking in 2010, when she and John Becker met and immediately bonded over a shared love of blue cheese. Megan’s culinary education began in North Carolina, where she learned to cook from a long line of matriarchs. She grew up in a farming family, shucking corn and snapping green beans as far back as she can remember. She has been a cheesemaker’s apprentice, a baker, and an assistant pastry chef, and in addition to her work for Joy she is the culinary director for a marketing agency that specializes in food. Megan lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband John and their two cats, Loki and Kishu.
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Our award-winning Cooks with Books events are held at outstanding Bay Area restaurants. The meal is inspired by the author/chefs who discuss their cookbooks with guests throughout the meal. These are happy, convivial events that often sell out quickly, so don’t wait to register! Event tickets include the meal, wine, tip, and a signed copy of the book.
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