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Dinner: A Love Story, the Book

Awards Season

By March 1, 2013October 2nd, 201317 Comments

Quick question: What do I have in common with Pulitzer-Prize winners John Updike, Norman Mailer,ย Tennessee Williams, and John F. Kennedy?

Nothing!ย But why should that stop me from affixing an honest-to-God authentic โ€œWinner of the Pulitzerโ€ sticker on the cover of my literary debut? ย My agent happened to represent a winnerย and had a roll of the Official Stickers in her office โ€” one of which I promptly begged her for. (I know, right? Whatโ€™s she doing hanging out with someone who makes a living writing aboutย meatballs?) Boy Iโ€™ve had fun with that one. Iโ€™m really hoping my mother logged on this morning, and for one second of her life had the thought โ€œWow! My daughter won a Pulitzer.โ€ Sorry, Mom.

But forreals, even more exciting than a Pulitzer in my world? An IACP Cookbook Award nomination. I was thrilled to find out a few days ago that my book is up for one and I am humbled by the company I share: Thomas Keller, Yottam Ottolenghi, Marcus Samuelsson, The Canal House duo, and Deb Perelman, who Iโ€™d read over Mailer and Updike any day of the week.

In other news, earlier this week I talked turkey chili, spaghetti with clams (page 56), starter curry (page 14), and family dinner ideas (pages 2-312) with Faith Middleton on WNPRโ€™sย The Food Schmooze. I always feel like Iโ€™m actually at the dinner table with her gang when she interviews me or when Iโ€™m listening to her show. If you have time to download it for your commuting or your carpooling today, theย whole show is worth a listen, but I donโ€™t come on til the last five or ten minutes. Or you could just download this interview with aย real Pulitzer Winner. Iโ€™d understand completely.

And the award for Best Signage to promote a Dinner: A Love Storyย and New Brooklyn Cookbook event goes toโ€ฆPowerhouse on 8th in Park Slope! ย If you are in the neighborhood, swing by for some soup, cookies, and, of course, books.

Thanks for indulging me. Next week, back to our regularly scheduled dinner programming.

17 Comments

  • Avatar catie says:

    omg โ€“ you are hilarious with that sticker.
    iโ€™d totally do that {AND hope my mom would gasp when she read my post}

  • Avatar richard says:

    Congratulations and well deserved!

  • Jan @ Family Bites says:

    Congratulations! So exciting, but Iโ€™m not at all surprised.

  • Avatar Leslie says:

    Congratulations, but you totally should have saved the Pulitzer sticker for April Foolโ€™s.

  • Jenny Jenny says:

    Leslie โ€“ I totally shouldโ€™ve saved it for April Foolโ€™s. Thatโ€™s hilarious.

    Thanks all for the congrats.

  • Carlinne @Cook with 2 Chicks says:

    Congratulations on the IACP Cookbook nomination! And, once again, you are hilarious.

  • Avatar Gretchen says:

    Congratulations, Jenny โ€“ so very deserved!

  • Avatar Alana says:

    Okay, so maybe it was just me and your mother, but I looked at that picture and I thought- SHIT- Jenny won a Pulitzer? And sure, sure Iโ€™m gullible, but I believed it, because if anyone could get a Pulitzer for a cookbook, it would be you and this book. I believed it. And huge congrats on the IACP nom- so well deserved!

  • Avatar Jesse says:

    Such a deserved honor! Many congratulations to you and your family on all your hard work:)

  • Avatar Rebecca Tory says:

    Hi Jenny
    I met you earlier at the tasting with Melissa. We chatted about your husbandโ€™s stromboli and I could not remember the other dish that saved me night before last. It was Sausage with Warm, Mustardy Potatoes. We all loved it and I loved how simple it was (did the baguette and tomatoes as well), so thanks to you (and Andy) for sharing that one. It saved my night!
    Here is a link to our companyโ€™s blog as itโ€™s also very much about family. Iโ€™ll soon write about the chicken pot pie pockets (so good). BTW Andrea told me he did not roll out the puff pastry โ€” only cut into 6 rectangles and baked until golden.
    Best Rebecca
    PS โ€“ The book is GREAT so far!!

  • Avatar Murphy says:

    I love the Food Schmooze! Iโ€™m listening to your clip right now at work ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Avatar Jenny C says:

    We caught a rebroadcast of the Food Schmooze yesterday while we were in the car going to/from our local farmerโ€™s market (back outside for the first time since the big blizzard!). I said to my son, โ€œthe lady whoโ€™s talking is the one we got the stromboli recipe from,โ€ which he thought was pretty cool. Weโ€™ve made that AT LEAST 5 times since you originally posted it โ€“ itโ€™s now in the realm of omelets & quesadillas, which are our familyโ€™s main go-tos. Almost infinitely variable in terms of flavors, great way to incorporate veggies galore into the main dish, a way to use up leftover bits from the fridge, AND still qualifies as โ€œcooking.โ€ In other words, family classics!

  • Rachelle says:

    This is so awesome, Jenny! I love your book and would give you a Pulitzer if i could ๐Ÿ™‚ Iโ€™m in the San Francisco area and would love to hear you talk โ€” you can make that happen, right?! BTW, Iโ€™m writing a book about creativity and children, and your writing has been a huge inspiration to me. xx

  • Jenny Jenny says:

    Hi Rebecca. Thanks for following up. So nice to meet you and your catering business looks awesome!
    For other people who read her comment, this is the recipe sheโ€™s talking about. I totally forgot about it, so thanks for reminding me.
    https://promoavenue.info/better-on-vacation/%3C/p%3E

  • Avatar Graham Davis says:

    Hi Jenny. I love your site not just the food but the design as well.

    I have started a small scale publishing company http://www.cookeryclassics.com in order to bring long neglected cookery books back to life as updated editions for iPad.

    These are the sort of books that Beryl Patmore from Downton Abbey would have had on her kitchen bookshelf and I would really appreciate your opinion on the three books that we have completed so far. Samples are available to download at iBooks as follows:

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mrs.-wilsons-cook-book/id597930000?ls=1
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dictionary-of-food/id597926404?ls=1
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/meat-poultry-fish-shellfish/id597922378?ls=1

    I have also started the Cookery Heritage blog to which I hope your readers will contribute. http://www.cookeryheritage.com

  • Avatar Emily says:

    Dear Jenny, I just finished reading Dinner: A Love Story from cover to cover. Thank you and congratulations! I do not have children, but I do have a fussy husband, long days at work, and a love of cooking and eating good food. I am so grateful that my parents cooked family dinner for us seven nights a week; your family stories make me nostalgic and happy. Thanks, too, for the blog so I can enjoy your writing and recipes beyond the last page of your book, which, of course, I will be rereading as I cook. Thanks to BA for introducing me to you and Andy! Emily

  • Avatar jennifer says:

    Since this is my favorite DALS recipe, Iโ€™ll comment here. โ€œI read your newsletter, do I win the Frannyโ€™s cookbook? Thanks! ๐Ÿ™‚

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