News Bites

December 2007/January 2008 (click here for the previous edition)

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Tidbits from Lisa

The majority of my previous News Bites notes have made reference to how busy our office was the previous month. That said, I've decided to look at this month from a slightly different perspective. Rather than focus on our busiest moments, I'm opting to reflect upon the opportunities that both my staff and I had to slow down over the past several weeks, as those are often the moments — be it a week, a day, or even just a collection of minutes — in which we grow the most.

During the first week of November, Sarah, Jane, and I attended the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Conference in Newport, RI. The weekend was inspiring, as always, but I was especially moved by the speeches made during the "Women Who Inspire" awards ceremony. In particular, I could've listened to Leah Chase — owner of Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans and recipient of the Barbara Tropp President's Award — continue to reflect on the industry and her career for hours. So inspiring! (Many thanks to outgoing president Helene Kennan, current president Maureen Pothier, the entire Conference Planning Committee, the tremendous staff at FSA headquarters, and last but not least, our own dessert maven and client, Judy Mattera.)

Only a few days after the conference, I had the pleasure to welcome 14 of our agenting clients for our second annual "In Good Company" agency retreat, which focuses on PR, marketing, branding, and networking. We shared advice, experiences, and many great meals. We learned. We laughed. It was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my year. I appreciate the time and enthusiasm of everyone who attended: Anna Abele, Kirsten Amann, Nava Atlas, Sherri Brooks Vinton, Leslie Cerier, Meredith Deeds, Bob and Mary Lou Heiss, Linda Hunter, Judy Mattera, Kim Mayone, Diane Morgan, Janeen Sarlin, and Carla Snyder.

And, just a few days after the retreat, I journeyed to the Bahamas with my husband, David. It was hard to be without my electronic "friends," but I managed and used those quiet moments to finish a few books and recollect. A few titles I can highly recommend are: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Bridge of Sighs, the latest from Richard Russo, and Run by Ann Patchett (not as fabulous as Bel Canto but good!). On the business side, Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton is another book I highly recommend, especially to my publisher/editor colleagues. It serves as a clear reminder that we all have the same goals in mind.

Upon returning from vacation, I had only a few days in the office before Thanksgiving, the holiday — or perhaps I should say "meal" — that slows us all down, if only for a few hours. David and I were joined by numerous family members, including two of our three grown children. It was an awesome weekend and completely solidifies the following comment by Andrew Weil: "When it comes down to it, friends, family, loved ones, and acquaintances who make you feel more alive, happier, and more optimistic are some of the most important treasures in life. All the money and power you can imagine are not likely to be as satisfying as good conversation, trust, dependability, and laughter."

I am looking forward to at least a few more slow, yet productive moments in December. Our staff gathered on December 7th for a team-building/strategic-planning session, cooking class, and holiday party.

This time of the year, it's natural to look back, and as I do, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and pride. After 25 years in business, I still love what I do — the people I work with, the clients we represent, the cookbooks we bring to life. Thanks for your business, friendship, and support.

As in past years, I will make donations to a select handful of charities rather than mail thousands of holiday cards. For that reason, I want to take this opportunity to wish you a relaxing holiday — filled with many quiet and joyous moments with family and friends — and a prosperous New Year.

With gratitude, appreciation, and all best wishes! Happy Holidays!

Lisa

Agency Buzz

Nava Atlas has placed the limited edition of her book SECRET RECIPES FOR THE MODERN WIFE (which will be commercially published by Touchstone/Fireside in 2009) in several collections of artists’ books. The growing list includes: National Art Library at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Museum of Modern Art Library Collection of Artists’ Books in New York City; Yale University Library Arts of the Book Collection in New Haven, Connecticut; School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection; Duke University Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture in Durham, North Carolina; Amherst College Robert Frost Library Collection of Artists’ Books in Amherst, Massachusetts; and the National Museum of Women in the Arts Collection of Artists’ Books in Washington, D.C. In November, Nava’s www.vegkitchen.com website set a new record with more than 77,000 visitors in one month. And her books continue to thrive, with Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet in its 10th printing, and the Vegetarian Family Cookbook in its 5th printing. Her new book Vegan Express, out in the New Year from Broadway, has already been picked up by two books clubs.

Amazon will be selling a few new products from Barbara Beery that are wonderful companions to her books. Her “Pink Princess Chef’s Hat and Apron” and the “Fairies Apron” will be available beginning in January 2008. Meanwhile, Barbara is working away on her next books with Gibbs Smith: PINK PRINCESS TEA PARTIES and MERMAIDS. And Barbara’s recent foray into the dog food world has taken off “pawsitively,” with a mention in the November 1 weekly edition of gourmet.com in the blurb “When Beef-Flavored Gets Boring.” To learn about the Make It Gourmet dog food seasoning blends, see the website.

Leslie Cerier was interviewed for an article in fitness.com on juicing, and she was also interviewed by Shape magazine for a February 2008 issue that will feature tips and recipes for broccoli rabe. In addition to writing articles and cookbooks, Leslie continues recipe development work for such companies as Green and Black’s. Leslie was interviewed by Pip Stromgren, along with our other agency client Kim Mayone, for a Hampshire Gazette article (Northampton, MA) on how to develop recipes. When Leslie's not writing, cooking, or taking beautiful impressionistic photographs, she can also be found teaching classes. In May 2008 she’ll teach a class at the Kripalu Center on “Cooking for Women’s Health,” and in September she’ll be teaching at the Natural Gourmet Institute on “Cooking Creatively with Sea Vegetables” and “Eating Your Way to Stronger Bones.” We are circulating Leslie’s book written with Anna Abele, a naturopathic doctor based in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Brattleboro, Vermont. The book is called THE GOURMET HEALER.

Ann Cooper and Lisa Holmes’ LUNCH LESSONS had a mention in The Wall Street Journal in the October 19 issue. Ann continues to tour the country to help reform our nation’s school lunch program. See what Ann is up to (and keep up-to-date on kids and healthful eating) by receiving Ann’s weekly newsletter, which features interesting articles, Ann’s podcasts and more. Go to www.lunchlessons.org to learn more.

Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder’s latest book is helping intimidated and even comfortable home cooks go forth and confidently conquer the ethnic foods they’ve been dying to make in their own kitchens. There’s been lots of media buzz on THE TAKE-OUT MENU COOKBOOK, which features iconic dishes from more than a dozen ethnic cuisines. Just a couple of recent media activities include an interview in the Cleveland Post-Gazette and a television segment with Fred Griffith. And there’s a great article by this dynamic duo in the December issue of Bon Appétit called “Small Plates, Big Flavors” chock-full of ideas right in time for the holidays.

Efisio Farris, along with co-author Jim Eber, have much to be proud of as they end the year with lovely reviews of their book, SWEET MYRTLE & BITTER HONEY, which was mentioned on the list of “Notable Cookbooks” in the December 2 online issue of The New York Times. It was also reviewed favorably in the November issue of John Mariani’s “Virtual Gourmet” newsletter featuring a round-up of books for “holiday giving and keeping.” Houston’s My Table magazine also had positive things to say. And we ask, “Who wouldn’t?!”

Chef Joseluis Flores remembers sweet tamales from his homeland in a mention in Explore, the in-flight magazine for TACA Airlines.

Mary Lou and Bob Heiss have been busy promoting their two books, THE STORY OF TEA and HOT DRINKS, both published by Ten Speed Press in the fall 2007. The Heisses conducted an evening tea tasting and tea presentation for Boston University's 2007 Fall Seminars in Food, Wine and the Arts. They led a cooking class of tea-based recipes for a Williams Sonoma store in Connecticut, and were featured on several radio programs, including "Be the Star You Are" with Cynthia Brian on StarStyle Radio on the World Talk Radio Network; NPR Affiliate WVXU's "Cincinnati Edition" with Naomi Lewin; "Dinner Plans with Gail Bellamy" on Lake Effect Radio, and Martha Stewart Radio. They also did an interview for Radio New Zealand. Kim O'Donnel's food blog, “A Mighty Appetite,” which appears daily on The Washington Post’s website, featured an interview with Mary Lou about the growing interest in tea. The October 2007 issue of Delicious Living featured original tea-based recipes by Mary Lou and Bob in the article "Eat Your Tea." Larry Cox, the book editor of the Tucson Citizen, wrote a favorable review of the book, starting with his statement “This book is as satisfying as a steaming cup of jasmine tea.” See the article, and also visit the Heiss’ new website www.teatrekker.com, which will formally launch in 2008 to celebrate the appreciation of fine tea.

Kate Heyhoe’s Great Bar Food at Home continues to earn points with the press for its delicious recipes as well as its fun history and side notes on famous bar eats. The LA Daily News article on October 24, “Entertaining Cookbooks,” noted: “Ingredient lists are mostly short and doable for any cook. Now there’s no excuse not to invite some friends over and celebrate the season.” Great Bar Food was also mentioned on several lists for the holidays, most notably as one of only two cookbooks featured in NPR’s list of holiday gift books and Food and Wine's list And for starting your New Year as a better environmental steward, don’t delay in visiting Kate’s new website, a companion to her forthcoming book in 2008 from Da Capo Lifelong Books.

Linda Mason Hunter, an award-winning author and nationally recognized expert in the green living/healthy home movement, will be featured in a variety of places, including excerpts from her books in upcoming issues of the GreenSage e-magazine for green building and healthy living. Readers will learn tips from Linda’s books The Healthy Home: An Attic to Basement Guide, Creating a Safe and Healthy Home, and Green Clean. Green Clean was also reviewed by Janeen Sarlin for her Seasonal Chef column in the Southampton Press on November 29. Linda is doing a series of two-to-four minute radio spots on KFMG in Des Moines, and she’ll be featured on a local television show, too, WHO-TV, which is broadcast throughout Iowa and a bit beyond. Wait, there’s more! Linda was interviewed by the West Coast editor of Organic Gardening magazine and will be featured in the May issue’s “Ask OG” column; her article "Five Semi-Easy Steps to Going Green" appears in the January issue of the Des Moines Homestyle magazine, and Readymade (a national Meredith publication) is running an article by Linda in its February 2008 “house hygiene” issue. Thanks for helping in our world’s “operation green,” Linda!

Elaine Magee traveled to New York in late November to do a satellite media tour for her expertise on heartburn and how to avoid it during the holidays. Elaine was the writer with Dr. Shekhar Challa, M.D. on a DVD called “The Heartburn Friendly Kitchen.” Visit Elaine’s souped up website, and be sure to learn about the innovative research that comprises Elaine’s exciting new book, FOOD SYNERGY.

Pastry chef extraordinaire Judy Mattera has recipes in the Winter 2007 issue of the Quarterly Review of Wines. Look for the magazine’s photo of “our favorite pastry chef” with accompanying treats from Judy.

Nancie McDermott continues to share her special touch with Southern cakes in booked-up classes. In November and December she visited Charleston Cooks and The Regulator Bookshop, respectively. She has a long lineup of events for 2008, and Nancie will also be ending the year 2007 with a slew of articles, including both reviews as well as articles that Nancie has written. Among the list where you’ll find recent mentions of Nancie’s work are the September/October 2007 issue of Delta Magazine, the November 2007 issue of Food Arts, the November 2007 issue of Texas Co-op Power, and the December 2007 issue of Fine Cooking.

Media training clients The Brass Sisters, Susie Middleton (of Fine Cooking fame) and Amelia Saltsman (the author of The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook) all had appearances on KCRW’s “Good Food” radio segment hosted by Evan Kleiman. We like that lineup! And Amelia also had a mention in the December issue of Bon Appétit!

Diane Morgan received a lovely write-up, with a recipe, in Lynne Rosetto Kasper’s “Weeknight Kitchen” newsletter for November 21, 2007, which shared ideas from Diane’s book The Thanksgiving Table.

Mani Niall’s recipe for lemon muffins will appear on sugar packages from Wholesome Sweeteners . His forthcoming book, ROLLED IN SUGAR, is coming out in 2008 from Da Capo Lifelong Books.

Debbie and Carlos Nieto celebrated the 26th anniversary of their highly acclaimed Chicago restaurant, Carlos.

It seems like everyone’s sweet on Patty Pinner’s latest book, SWEETY PIES: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, With Pie, published by Taunton this past fall. Patty was on Martha Stewart Radio’s "Everyday Food" hosted by Sandy Gluck and Betsy Karetnick on October 23, in honor of National Boston Cream Pie Day. Patty’s book was also selected for a baking round-up by the Associated Press in October, and a mention was on AOL’s Black Voices home page for Thanksgiving. The Mary Kay company printed a story in its national newsletter. And just in time for the holidays, the owner of New York City’s Hue Man Bookstore & Cafe, Marva Allen, appears on the “Today Show” on Friday, December 21 to feature her favorite book picks. You guessed it: Sweety Pies is on her list!

Braiden Rex-Johnson has been touring the areas she knows and loves to promote her book PACIFIC NORTHWEST WINING & DINING. A weekend in Woodinville wine country resulted in a spirited signing with executive chef Bobby Moore of Barking Frog restaurant. The Hotel Vintage Plaza hosted Braiden’s book-launch signing in Portland during which she sold another 30 books in just an hour! Braiden appeared on “A.M. Northwest,” the early-morning show on Portland's ABC network affiliate. Stops in Vancouver also involved a whirlwind of activity, including two appearances on City TV. Several radio interviews interspersed the television appearances, all followed by an evening event at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. Braiden also appeared on Fanny Keifer’s long-running "Studio 4" television show. In December: appearances in Seattle, Lake Forest Park, and Mill Creek, Washington, and a visit to New York. Stay tuned! Kate Heyhoe, who is busy editing her online e-zine Global Gourmet when she’s not writing cookbooks, among her many other activities, wrote a lovely review of Braiden’s book for the latest issue. Just a few bites of Braiden’s media coverage include an article in The Columbian , a Seattle Times review by Greg Atkinson, and a write-up in Edible British Columbia that stated “Rarely has a book captured our attention as much as this.” The Seattle Post-Intelligencer calls the book “a dinner party between two covers.”

Andy Schloss offers great ideas in the December issue of Bon Appétitin “Quick Gifts from Your Kitchen.” Spice rubs are a favorite, especially for anyone “MASTERING THE GRILL.” That’s a hint from us for the perfect gift combination. Andy and David Joachim's book MASTERING THE GRILL was just awarded the "Best Barbecue Book" from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for 2007.

Don’t miss Suneeta Vaswani’s COMPLETE BOOK OF INDIAN COOKING, praised recently by Houston’s My Table magazine. If you want a definitive yet approachable guidebook to Indian cuisine, consider Suneeta’s two years of research to create the 350 recipes in this amazingly practical book. Now that’s what we call “complete!”

Andreas Viestad had a fun write-up by Dig Publishing, which referred to him as the “spice whisperer.” If you haven’t looked at his book WHERE FLAVOR WAS BORN, we’ll have to say it a lot louder than a “whisper”: GO GET A COPY OF THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK!

Denise Vivaldo’s entertaining expertise is featured in the December 2007 issue of Martha Stewart Living, where she shares some thoughts on page 166 about preparing food in advance for holiday entertaining (and beating stress). Along with her co-author Cindie Flannigan, Denise’s food styling prowess continues to wow class attendees and bloggers (even those writing in French!): Sabrina Huang Photography; Le Carrefour; and La Tartine Gourmande. When Denise isn’t teaching food styling, she’s also sharing her many tips and tricks on entertaining in a “do it for less” style. At a recent Concordia University brunch presentation Denise sold out of two cases of DO IT FOR LESS! PARTIES.

Anne Willan’s COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE was among a select list of “Notable Cookbooks” in the December 2 online issue of The New York Times. Notable book, indeed! Bon Appétit's December issue selected it as one among only five other picks for Christmas gifts this season.

Alton Brown praised Virginia Willis’s forthcoming BON APPÉTIT Y’ALL, and his quote bears repeating: “Most southern cookbooks, even the really good ones, usually feel and taste somewhat provincial as though their cuisine can only exist below the Mason Dixon line. Virginia Willis's cuisine is the opposite. Although her food is undeniably Southern, it comes across as international, universal even. Other than Patricia Wells and Marcella Hazan, I cannot think of another cook who has managed to pull this off." And Virginia also received a rave review in the Publishers Weekly December 3 issue, which starts “The playful title of this Southern-French cookbook belies its studious attitude to cookery,” and finishes by describing “Willis’s cheerful, trustworthy guidance.” Virginia was also interviewed by the New York Times for a piece on food banks. Now that’s a great way to ring in the New Year. Congratulations, Virginia!

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