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First up is Michael Ruhlman, the Cleveland-based author who’s a model for aspiring food writers seeking to have an impact beyond pieces like “Ten Negroni Slushies You Must Guzzle Now.” Books like The French Laundry Cookbook (which he wrote much of, though it’s credited to Thomas Keller) and The Soul of a Chef helped spark our collective cultural interest in chefs, books like Charcuterie (which has a new edition) sparked a DIY cured-meats craze, and his other new book, Schmaltz, not only pays tribute to chicken fat as a miraculous substance, but blazed an e-book-to-dead-tree-book path that other top authors will doubtless follow.
Next up is author Lolis Eric Elie, whose tales of his native New Orleans led to HBO’s series Treme; he’ll be the guest for a cookbook dinner at Big Jones to celebrate the Treme-themed book Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans. But Elie is no stranger to Chicago’s food culture, either; his book Smokestack Lightning is an important source of history and folklore about Chicago’s south-side barbecue scene (and one I drew on in making this video). Chef Paul Fehribach will serve a dinner from recipes in the book on Monday, September 30 starting at 6:30 PM; it’s $60, with books for sale and signing. Call 773-275-5725 for reservations.
