Larchmont Library Launches “Literary Bites”

Food brings the global family together. While the food we eat may be different from what people eat in other cultures and in other places around the globe, the culture of humankind is heavily influenced by one thing that is universal: FOOD. Literary Bites is a newly formed book group led by Larchmont Public Library Programming Librarian June Hesler, for people who share a passion for food, cooking and cookbooks.

Monday, October 15 from 1:00 to 2:30pm - Larchmont Public Library

Cookbooks have undergone a major transformation over the past few decades. In the past, cookbooks were simply collections of recipes (Better Homes & Gardens, Betty Crocker) without any real context, appealing illustrations or background about each recipe. That began to change with Julia Child’s The French Chef and then in the early 1980’s with the release of Chef Paul Prudomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, arguably the first cookbook published by a “superstar” chef. With cookbooks published by Wolfgang Puck, Jacques Pepin, Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagassee and many others, today’s cookbook is about food appreciation, food history, what each recipe means to the author and how they were inspired to create them, as well as food preparation and fully instructional step-by-step recipes. In short, today’s cookbooks are as much about the writing as they are about the food.

The Larchmont Library has an extensive cookbook collection available, so with Literary Bites Hesler is inviting the community to join in an exploration of these amazing cookbooks and books about food and cooking. The Library’s collection includes cookbooks featuring food in every form and in every cuisine. Each meeting of Literary Bites will feature a different book and those who attend Literary Bites will be able to enjoy sharing recipes, prepared dishes and culinary experiences as they relate to each book.

But not every meeting of Literary Bites will center on just cooking or recipes. Under the guidance of Hesler, Literary Bites will also explore autobiographies of famous chefs (think Anthony Boudain, Gordon Ramsey or Nobu Matsuhisa), as well as books that have had an extraordinary impact on food and the way we eat.

“The Larchmont Public Library offers something for everyone and that’s why we’re launching Literary Bites”, said Library Director Laura Eckley. “There’s a cookbook for every taste and Literary Bites creates a place for people who share a passion for food to come together and share their experiences while celebrating food, cuisine and literature”.

The inaugural meeting of Literary Bites on October 15 will focus on My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichel, former editor of Gourmet Magazine. Books are available in the library three weeks prior to the group’s meeting on October 15. Literary Bites meets every-other-month at the Larchmont Public Library. For specific dates visit the library online at LarchmontLibrary.org.