Despite all the doom and gloom about publishing and bookselling in general, one of the bright spots of news earlier this year was the launch of a new imprint dedicated to food & lifestyle publishing with Australian authors - published here in Melbourne - Plum

Their first book is Marion: recipes & stores from a hungry cook by Marion Grasby.

Marion will be joining us on 5 July to launch her book and share her recipes & adventures in food.

This should be a great evening.   Marion loves food. If you ask what her favourite food is she'll list at least ten things. A little bit Thai (courtesy of her Mum) and a little bit Australian (courtesy of her Dad), Marion's love of food and travel are ingrained  - she spent her childhood living and eating throughout Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Australia. 

In 2008 Marion's life changed forever when she left behind a career as an ABC journalist to study for a Masters of Gastronomy. This allowed her to indulge her passion for food and gave her the confidence to audition for MasterChef.  During the 2010 series, Marion wowed the country with her incredible cooking talent, her assured palate, her sunny personality and warmth.  Fast forward a year and Marion has now realised one of her dreams - her glorious first cookbook Marion: Recipes and stories from a hungry cook.

The book draws on Marion's own travels and experiences; the places she's been  and the people she's cooked with. There are Thai, Italian, French and Middle Eastern inspired dishes ... and of course, some firmly Aussie ones too.

The recipes are designed for the home cook, food to make every night of the week. Divided into Mornings, Bowl Food, Small Plates, Big Plates, Sweetness and Things in Jars, Marion offers deliciously simple recipes such as My First Mussels, Colour-Me-Autumn Salad, Simple Seafood & Chorizo Soup and Beggar's Chicken, as well as dinner-party showstoppers such as Chilli Mud Crab, Eight-Hour Lamb with Tomato and Herb Gravy, and Coconut and Kaffir Lime Panna Cottas with Strawberries and Lime Syrup.  Sample menus show how to group dishes together for various occasions, making meal-planning a breeze. 

Alongside stunning food photography by Sharyn Cairns, Marion is peppered with photographs from Marion's travels throughout Australia and Thailand, including evocative images of Marion's visit to the Thai village where her mum grew up.

Quirky step-by-step illustrations by Melbourne artist Jane Reiseger reflect Marion's fun approach to food, and with fascinating anecdotes and Marion's invaluable cooking tips on every page, Marion is not only beautiful to look at, but a delight to read. 

 

As usual, our event is free, but bookings are essential.  Tastes will be available from the book as well.

Marion: recipes & stories from a hungry cook

7pm Tuesday 5 July 2011

@ Josie Bones, 98 Smith St Collingood  

 

To book, call or email us:  

 

T: (03) 8415 1415

 

shop@booksforcooks.com.au 

We now stock what we think is a great range of magazines for the thinking foodie - not recipe collections (which are great also) but magazines that challenge, espouse, provoke, titilate, sate and satisfy the reader.

Most are unavailable through Newsagents etc.  All are available as subscriptions (just contact us and we'll sort it out) and we have back issues for a number of them

Gastronomica: journal of food & culture

Published by UCLA, this multi-disciplinary journal looks at food history, sociology, politics, economics - pretty much any point of view a University might have - even Engineering!  Quarterly: $24.95, selected back issues available.

Culture: the word on Cheese

Now in its 3rd year, this American based magazine is a serious look at cheese throughout the world. Quarterly: $14.95 an issue, backissues available.

Meatpaper

A fascinating examination of meat in culture - not for the faint-hearted but truly fascinating and very interesting.  Quarterly: $16 an issue, back issues available

Petit Propos Culinaires

A delightful journal on food history and essays & notes on food, cookery and cookbooks.  Originally published by Alan Davidson with contributions from Richard Olney and Elizabeth David, this little journal (3 times a year) provides a rich tapestry of observations on food and food history through the ages.  Many of the contributors participate in the Oxford Symposium on Gastronomy and most are professionally involved in food or related research.  3 Times a Year: $21.95 an issue, most back issues available

Diner Journal

New to Books for Cooks is Diner Journal, a quirky personal quarterly published in New York from a small restaurant.  Guaranteed to make you think!  Quarterly: $14.95 an issue

The Art of Eating

Once described as the best food writing not known, this is a wonderful evocative journal looking at food, wine, and books.  Perhaps the sort of journal that someone like Elizabeth David might have written.  Will make you hungry and want to travel in so many ways. Quarterly: $ 17.95 an issue, selected back issues available

Fire & Knives

An elegant quirky British magazine focusing on quality food writing.  Strong design & thematic structure make this a great read. Quarterly: $21.95 an issue; back issues available


The World of Fine Wine

Quite simply the best wine writing on the planet.  No silly stars, points or trade reviews; just quality comment and opinion for someone serious about wine from the best wine writers in the world.  Quarterly: $45 an issue, most back issues available

So Good: the journal of haute patisserie

Gastroporn for pastry chefs.  A book not a magazine...  Half Yearly: $45 an issue, limited back issues available

Chef Magazine

A serious UK based trade magazine focused on British fine dining.  Written by and for chefs.  Monthly: $11.95 an issue, limited back issues available

Oh, and we also stock Condiment: adventures in food & form (occasional), Swallow (occasional) and Wine Spectator (fortnightly)

...browse our magazines.... 

Later in the year, we will see a feast of local authors publishing what should be a great series of books.  Almost every Australian publisher has something for us this year.  Details are still scant on some titles, but as we hear about them we'll be adding them to our website.

In November, we will see Andrew McConnell's much awaited Cumulus Inc.  Andrew's food has been much feted and his restaurants have been highly awarded.  Cumulus is his more casual restaurant in Flinders Lane in the heart of the City. Due November 2011

 

...to pre-order... 

Also due later in the year are:

• Ginger Boy by Teage Ezard & Chris Donellan
• PS Desserts by Phillipa Sibley
• Maha by Shane Delia
• Malouf: New Middle Eastern Food by Greg Malouf
• Marque by Mark Best
• The Art of Pasta by Lucio Galletto

and many more....

 

Sometimes, a great book lands on our desk at a great price...

The Gastronomy of Marriage is a delicate delicious memoir exploring the bounds and bonds of a relationship forged over food. 

Michelle's Italian American background contrasts with her partner's Chinese background.  Both come from vibrant food cultures, albeit fiercely protective ones and this provides the focal point for a personal examination of the ties that bind.

A lovely gentle, introspective read this is quite rewarding...normally $29.95, now $9.95 while stocks last

...read more... 

Which brings us to a close for this Newsletter.  In addition to our Newsletter, we also occasionally post on facebook, twitter and our blog - you can subscribe to these via our website if you would like to keep in touch.

If you haven't already noticed, our website is now finally live and catalogues everything we have in stock.  You can safely purchase, order, pre-order upcoming titles and request out of print searches online.  We are still having the odd teething issue - but bear with us - we are working on it every day. 

We are adding more detailed content every day and night).   A growing number of titles have multimedia content available such as videos and look inside tools.  We'll keep adding those as we find them.  Our forthcoming page lists new titles up to Christmas. 

Please have a browse online and tell us what you think!  Of course, we are still open every day and welcome your visits and calls.