Food and Wine Events

Literary Luncheon: Kate Atkinson - Transcription (Corte Madera Store)

Monday, October 1, 2018 - 12:00pm

In Conversation with Elaine Petrocelli
Ticket: $55 (includes meal & signed book)

*Tickets are available for purchase at the door.*

In 1940, eighteen-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever.

Ten years later, now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence.

Transcription is a work of rare depth and texture, a bravura modern novel of extraordinary power, wit and empathy. It is a triumphant work of fiction from one of the best writers of our time.

Kate Atkinson's first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, was named England's Whitbread Book of the Year in 1996. Since then, she has written nine more ground-breaking, bestselling books, most recently A God in Ruins. She lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925

Literary Brunch: Isabel Allende - In the Midst of Winter (Corte Madera Store)

Saturday, September 15, 2018 - 10:30am

Ticket: $30 (includes continental breakfast + goodies & signed book)

*Registration now closed. Please call 415-927-0960 x1 for waitlist. 

An instant New York Times bestseller, In the Midst of Winter, is about three very different people who are brought together in a mesmerizing story that offers "a timely message about immigration and the meaning of home" (People).

During the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and what at first seems an inconvenience takes a more serious turn when Evelyn comes to his house, seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant, Lucia Maraz, a fellow academic from Chile, for her advice.

As these three lives intertwine, each will discover truths about how they have been shaped by the tragedies they witnessed, and Richard and Lucia will find unexpected, long overdue love. Allende returns here to themes that have propelled some of her finest work: political injustice, the art of survival, and the essential nature of -- and our need for -- love.

Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Isabel Allende is the author of a number of bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including The House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, Stories of Eva Luna, Of Love and Shadows, and The Japanese Lover. Her books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages and have sold more than 65 million copies worldwide. She lives in California.

 

51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925

Literary Luncheon: Lauren Groff - Florida (Corte Madera Store)

Monday, June 18, 2018 - 12:00pm

Tickets: $55 (includes meal & book)

“Lauren Groff is a writer of rare gifts.”—The New York Times Book Review

In her vigorous and moving new book, Lauren Groff brings her electric storytelling and intelligence to a world in which storms, snakes, and sinkholes lurk at the edge of everyday life, but the greater threats and mysteries are of a human, emotional, and psychological nature. Among those navigating it all are a resourceful pair of abandoned sisters; a lonely boy, grown up; a restless, childless couple, a searching, homeless woman; and an unforgettable, recurring character -- a steely and conflicted wife and mother.

The stories in this collection span characters, towns, decades, even centuries, but Florida -- its landscape, climate, history, and state of mind—becomes its gravitational center: an energy, a mood, as much as a place of residence. Groff transports the reader, then jolts us alert with a crackle of wit, a wave of sadness, a flash of cruelty, as she writes about loneliness, rage, family, and the passage of time. With shocking accuracy and effect, she pinpoints the moments and decisions and connections behind human pleasure and pain, hope and despair, love and fury -- the moments that make us alive. Startling, precise, and affecting, Florida is a magnificent achievement.

Lauren Groff is the New York Times bestselling author of three novels, The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, and Fates and Furies, and the celebrated short story collection, Delicate Edible Birds. She has won the PEN/O. Henry Award, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, along with several Best American Short Stories anthologies, and she was named one of Granta’s 2017 Best Young American Novelists. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her husband and sons.

 

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Please note: Tickets are non-refundable

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51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925

Cooks with Books: Georgeanne Brennan - Windows on Provence (Left Bank)

Sunday, May 20, 2018 - 6:30pm

Left Bank Restaurant, Larkspur
Tickets: $120 per person; $175 per couple (includes meal and one book)

*Registration is now closed. *

Famous for its radiant light, vibrant colors, beautiful architecture, flavorful foods, and opulent wines, Provence is one of the most visited destinations of the world. To turn the pages of Windows on Provence: Musings on the Food, Wine, and Culture of the South of France is to be immersed in the magical region.

With each photograph and chapter, the reader is transported to the beaches of Nice under a white umbrella, to the twisting streets of Aix-en-Provence, to the 2,000-year-old ruins of Cimiez, and beyond.

Georgeanne Brennan evocatively renders an insider’s knowledge of Provence’s villages and their ancient customs and traditions. Through rich essays, each examining a unique facet of Provençal culture, she shares her view of the southern region of the country. Brennan’s engaging text, together with alluring photographs, takes the reader on an unforgettable tour, from the sun-drenched Côte d’Azur to the craggy mountains of Haute Provence; to lavender, poppy and wheat fields; through markets full of richly-hued fabrics, antiques and seasonal specialties; to harbors filled with fishermen selling the morning’s catch; over hills covered in vines; and into centuries-old buildings and castle ruins, all brought to life through the author’s eyes.

Included in the bounty are four distinct Provençal recipes as well as indispensable driving tips to help drivers find their way without stress.

This is a book for travelers, for dreamers, for Francophiles, for lovers of Provençal craft and cuisine, and for anyone who wants to be a part of something beautiful and special.

Georgeanne Brennan is the author of the popular food memoir, A Pig in Provence, as well as the culinary classic, Potager. She is also the author of My Culinary Journey:Food and Fetes of Provence. She lives in both France and Northern California.

 

Left Bank Restaurant
507 Magnolia Ave.
Larkspur, CA 94939

Cooks with Books: Gayle Pirie & John Clark - The Foreign Cinema Cookbook

Thursday, June 7, 2018 - 6:30pm

Foreign Cinema Restaurant, San Francisco
Tickets (includes meal and book): $125 per person, $200 per couple

Ticket sales are now closed.

A festive evening unfolds with an intimate book signing, generous pours of carefully sourced wine selections, thirst quenching cocktails, and tapas style dinner served al fresco, under the stars with live felliniesque entertainment throughout the evening.

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Foreign Cinema opened its doors in 1999 in the Mission District of San Francisco, pioneers in transforming the neighborhood into a culinary destination. The dramatic experience of dining in the sweeping courtyard, where films screen nightly, still enchant visitors 18 years later. Now, for the first time, chef-owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark share the best from their distinctive North African, California-Mediterranean menu.

Featuring 125 signature dishes, The Foreign Cinema Cookbook spans Pirie and Clark’s award-winning brunch favorites like Champagne Omelet and Persian Bloody Mary, cocktail hour with Lavender Baked Goat Cheese in Fig Leaves, and dinner fare including a Five-Spice Duck Breast with Cassis Sauce and Madras Curry Fried Chicken with Spiced Honey, alongside instructions for how to blend spice staples like Ras el Hanout. With rich storytelling throughout, Pirie and Clark offer home cooks a chance to take the restaurant into their own kitchen.

Gayle Pirie and John Clark are the chef-owners of Foreign Cinema. In 2010, Pirie was inducted into Les Dames d’Escoffier International. The couple have published two previous books; they live in Berkeley, California, with their two children.

Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94110

Cooks with Books: Nigella Lawson - At My Table (Left Bank)

Sunday, April 22, 2018 - 6:30pm

Left Bank, Larkspur
Tickets: $125 per person, $190 per couple (includes meal & book)

*Registration is now closed. Please call (415) 927-0960 x1 for waitlist.* 

Internationally bestselling author Nigella Lawson celebrates the home cook in At My Table. Engaging with fans like never before, she invites you into her home kitchen & steps into yours as well.

At My Table includes dishes to inspire all cooks and eaters, from Hake with Bacon, Peas, and Cider to Indian-Spiced Chicken and Potato Traybake and Chili Mint Lamb Cutlets, plus a host of colorful vegetable dishes, like Eastern Mediterranean Chopped Salad and Carrots and Fennel with Harissa.

No Nigella cookbook would be complete without sweet treats, and At My Table is no exception, with Emergency Brownies, White Chocolate Cheesecake, and a Victoria Sponge with Cardamom, Marmalade, and Crème Fraiche set to become family favorites.

As Nigella writes, "happiness is best shared," and the food in this book will be served and savored at your own kitchen table just as it is at hers.

Nigella Lawson has written nine bestselling cookbooks, including the classics How to Eat and How to Be a Domestic Goddess. These books and her television series have made her a household name around the world. She was a mentor on ABC's The Taste, and her books have sold more than eight million copies.

Event tickets include the meal, wine, tip, tax, and a signed copy of the book.

Left Bank
507 Magnolia Avenue
Larkspur, CA 94939

Cooks with Books: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich - My American Dream (Insalata's)

Sunday, April 15, 2018 - 6:00pm

Insalata's, San Anselmo
Tickets: $125 per person, $190 per couple (includes meal & book)

Please Note: this event is sold out. To inquire about waitlist availability, please contact mfriedman@bookpassage.com.

From Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, the bestselling cookbook author, beloved and award-winning television personality, and hugely successful restaurateur comes My American Dream, a heartwarming, emotional, revelatory memoir told with all her hallmark warmth and gusto.

Lidia's story begins with her upbringing in Pula, a formerly Italian city turned Yugoslavian under Tito's communist regime. She enjoys a childhood surrounded by love and security -- despite the family's poverty -- learning everything about Italian cooking from her beloved grandmother, Nonna Rosa. When the communist regime begins investigating the family, they flee to Trieste, Italy, where they spend two years in a refugee camp waiting for visas to enter the United States -- an experience that will shape Lidia for the rest of her life. At age 12, Lidia starts a new life in New York. She soon begins working in restaurants as a young teenager, the first step toward the creation of her own American dream. And she tells in great, vivid detail the fulfillment of that dream: her close-knit family, her dedication and endless passion for food that ultimately leads to multiple restaurants, many cookbooks, and twenty years on public television as the host of her own cooking show. An absolute must-have for the millions of Lidia fans.

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is the author of thirteen cookbooks and the Emmy award-winning host of public television's Lidia's Kitchen, which also airs internationally. She is also a judge on MasterChef Junior Italy and Italy's highly rated daily program, La Prova del Cuoco. Lidia owns Felidia, Becco, several other restaurants, and is a partner in the acclaimed Eataly. She lives on Long Island, New York.

Event tickets include the meal, wine, tip, tax, and a signed copy of the book.

Insalata's Restaurant
120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
San Anselmo, CA 94960

CANCELLED: Cooks with Books: Philip Tessier & Roland Passot - Chasing Bocuse (La Folie)

Sunday, March 18, 2018 - 6:30pm

PLEASE NOTE: This event has been cancelled. To be notified of a potential rescheduled date, please contact mfriedman@bookpassage.com.

La Folie, San Francisco

In Chasing Bocuse, the dramatic story of the American team's journey from obscurity to the silver-medal and ultimately the gold-medal win at the world's most renowned cooking competition, the Bocuse d'Or, is told in riveting narrative, breathtaking photographs, and expert recipes from every stage of the process. In 2015 in Lyon, France, Team USA medaled for the first time ever at the Bocuse d'Or--often called the "Olympics of the cooking world"-- taking silver. Two years later, Team USA won the competition and took home the gold. The coach and mentors of the 2015 team consisted of chefs who have become household names: Gavin Kaysen, Thomas Keller, and Daniel Boulud, with French Laundry executive sous chef Philip Tessier and his assistant Skylar Stover as the primary competitors.

Now Tessier, who went on to coach the winning 2017 team, and his teammates offer readers a seat at the table of this exciting culinary event, founded by and named for famed chef Paul Bocuse, in a book brimming with personal anecdotes, vibrant pictures, and a course-by-course offering of recipes for the home chef from the competitions. As Tessier describes the journey to the competition -- first as competitor, then as coach -- including the chaos, pressure, and the glorious result, readers will feel every heated moment. With a collection of recipes for meals served at every stage, readers will be able to taste those moments as well. Rarely has food writing been so exciting--or so rewarding. Combining a great story with recipes crafted by America's culinary giants, this beautiful celebration of a historic victory will make every reader feel and cook like a champion.

Philip Tessier is the first American chef to ever place on the podium at the prestigious Bocuse d'Or culinary competition in Lyon, France, taking silver in 2015 competition. Chef Tessier continued on to coach the 2017 U.S. team, guiding them to victory as they won gold for the first time in the 30 year competition. He was previously executive sous chef at Thomas Keller's three Michelin star The French Laundry in Napa Valley, CA, and chef de cuisine at Bouchon in Yountville, CA. He was part of the opening team of Per Se and was a sous chef at Le Bernardin, both three Michelin star restaurants based in New York City.

Event tickets include the meal, wine, tip, tax, and a signed copy of the book.

La Folie
2316 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

Literary Luncheon: Anna Quindlen - Alternate Side (Corte Madera Store)

Thursday, April 5, 2018 - 12:00pm

Ticket: $55 (includes meal & signed book)

The tensions in a tight-knit neighborhood--and a seemingly happy marriage--are exposed by an unexpected act of violence in Alternate Side, the provocative new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miller's Valley and Still Life with Bread Crumbs.

Some days Nora Nolan thinks that she and her husband, Charlie, lead a charmed life--except when there's a crisis at work, a leak in the roof at home, or a problem with their twins at college. And why not? New York City was once Nora's dream destination, and her clannish dead-end block has become a safe harbor, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. Then one morning she returns from her run to discover that a terrible incident has shaken the neighborhood, and the fault lines begin to open: on the block, at her job, especially in her marriage. With humor, understanding, an acute eye, and a warm heart, Anna Quindlen explores what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a woman at a moment of reckoning.

Anna Quindlen is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of nine novels: Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, Blessings, Rise and Shine, Every Last One, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, Miller's Valley, and Alternate Side. Her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, published in 2012, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize and published two collections, Living Out Loud and Thinking Out Loud. Her Newsweek columns were collected in Loud and Clear.

 

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Please note: Tickets are non-refundable

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51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925

Cooks with Books: Valerie Bertinelli - Valerie's Home Cooking (Napa)

Friday, November 10, 2017 - 4:30pm

Liana Estates Winery, Napa
Tickets: $120 per person; $195 per couple

Please note: this event is now sold out. Call (415) 927-0960 ext. 1 for waitlist inquiries.

In her newest cookbook, Valerie's Home Cooking, sitcom celebrity and Food Network host Valerie Bertinelli shares over 100 recipes for making comfort food that has a modern and fun twist. With their innovative flavor combinations, these recipes transform traditional comforting classics into crave worthy and exciting dishes that are made to be shared with family and friends.

As the current star of her Food Network show, Valerie's Home Cooking, and co-host of the network's Kids Baking Championship, as well as having spent years acting on television, Valerie Bertinelli has made a name for herself in households across America. But to really know Valerie, is to spend time in her kitchen.

Inspired by her family's cooking legacy, Valerie specializes in showing fans how to make dishes their own families will love that are for the heart and soul. As she often says, there's a story behind every recipe and Valerie shares them in this gorgeous cookbook, where home cooks will find more than 100 recipes that are easy to make and innovative--they're just as fresh, vibrant and down to earth as Valerie herself. Many of these classic comforting recipes have an original twist like Bloody Mary Tea Sandwiches, Lobster BLTs, Quick Rotisserie Chicken Gumbo, and S'mores Popcorn. These mouthwatering dishes will become your go-tos, whether you're having breakfast or lunch on your own, friends are joining for last-minute cocktails and small bites, or the whole family is coming together for a hearty dinner and dessert.

Valerie Bertinelli is a television personality, New York Times bestselling author, and passionate home cook. She hosts her own Food Network cooking show called Valerie's Home Cooking, reaching 1.5 million weekly viewers, and co-hosts Kids Baking Championship on the network. Bertinelli is well-known for her starring roles on the shows One Day at a Time and Hot in Cleveland. She currently lives in Los Angeles, CA.

 

 

Liana Estates Winery
2750 Las Amigas Rd.
Napa, CA 94559

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