Seasonal Reads
The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket
By Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker and Jen Steveson
A dozen different deviled eggs. 99 ways to use a Mason jar. Batch cocktails that can be made for couples or crowds, and the rules to more kinds of lawn games than you care to remember. Picnics are more than just outdoor meals on a blanket, but rather seasonal celebrations, and this gorgeously illustrated guide to packing up the fun for a leisurely day in the sunshine is exactly what summer is all about.
Kitchens Of The Great Midwest
By J. Ryan Stradal
This novel-in-pieces centers around enigmatic superstar chef Eva Thorvald, and each interlacing chapter gives a portrait of a dish and a character that shapes the woman she becomes. But this food-focused book is as much a picture of home cooks as professional ones, from Lutheran church suppers to the opening day of deer season, county fair bake offs and chili eating contests, ultimately showing the power of the community we create around our tables.
The One True Barbeque: Fire, Smoke, And The Pitmasters Who Cook The Whole Hog
By Rien Fertel
Part travelogue of the South, part memoir of fascination and respect for culinary tradition, this magnificant book is the picture of whole-hog barbeque we’ve been waiting for. Full of stunning photography and facinating stories, larger-than-life characters, bitter rivalries, cultural curiosity and damn near perfect descriptions of the people and places that bring this significant regional foodway to life. Do not miss the sections on Scott’s Bar-B-Que, Sweatman’s, and even South Of The Border.
Lesser Beasts: Snout to Tail History of the Humble Pig
By Mark Essig
Our relationship with pigs is long and complex, in part because the pig is a complex animal: intelligent, self-sufficient, and often taken for granted. Brand-new edible Asheville editor (interviewed on page 64) Mark Essig explores our linked history, agricutural, sociological and culinary, from the pig’s not-so-positive mentions in the Bible through the tragedy of modern facotry farming. This book is an important one.
Sweetbitter
By Stephanie Danler
One of the most anticipated foodie novels out there, we’ve been talking about this one for years, ever since the New York Times reported how then-waitress Danler pitched it to an editor dining at one of her tables. Sweetbitter is the story of Tess, a young Midwestern woman thrust into service at a hot Union Square restaurant. A rich look at the rough, arcane, appetite-rich and often drug-soaked culture of the back of the house.
Sunday Sit-down Suppers at M.JUDSON
We believe good books inspire. Over at M. Judson, we’re bringing together the books we love and the cooks we love and watching what magic happens. Once a month, we set a long table down the middle of the store, invite an author to town and put on a literary supper like no other. After-hours, up-close and personal, these dinners are unique experiences designed to bring what we’re reading off the page and onto the creative plate. Seats are limited, and the ticket price includes a four-course dinner, a thoughtful beverage pairing, and your own copy of the book in question. Tickets and more information at www.mjudsonbooks.com (under the “Eat and Read” tab).
JULY 31
SUNDAY DINNER,
BY BRIDGETTE LACY AND THE CHOCOLATE MOOSE
This fantastic addition to The Savor The South series of cookbooks is practically made for us, “an ode to the meal that, particularly in the Sabbath-minded South, is more than a meal.” And Ms. Lacy brings a long history as a journalist and food writer at Raliegh’s News and Observer to the table. The talented kitchen at The Chocolate Moose is planning to pull out all the stops for a Sunday supper just like grandma used to make.
AUGUST 28
THE GRITS AND GROCERIES COOKBOOK, AND GRITS AND GROCERIES
Join us for our favorite Southern-soul maestros, Heidi and Joe Trull, and a culinary trip through their own cookbook, chock full of all the recipes that make their restaurant Grits and Groceries so great. (And, you know, famous all over the country.) The next best thing to a trip to Saylors Crossroads.
SEPTEMBER 11
LESSER BEASTS: SNOUT TO TAIL HISTORY OF THE HUMBLE PIG, BY MARK ESSIG AND BACON BROS. PUBLIC HOUSE
This dinner is a meeting of pig-loving minds, in the best way possible. Asheville’s Mark Essig will be on hand to discuss why the pig is such a significant part of our history, culture and table, and perhaps deserving of more respect than we give it. Chef Anthony Gray will be on hand to show us what it means to make every part of the animal delicious. (Can we make concessions for vegetarians? Always. Would you want to? That’s another question…)
