A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting at the outdoor pool (no doubt reading something smutty in public) when my friend, Kelli Kelly of “Cooking with Kelli” fame, called me with a proposition. She is an excellent chef, newspaper columnist, and reader. Just like I love books about books, Chef Kelli loves books about food. Lucky for us, so do I - because she had a brilliant idea: a crossover edition of our “The Fallon Post” columns. So here we are – coming in hot with “Cooking with Kelli” and “Allison’s Book Report” combining forces. It’s like a newspaper book club – we have been calling it “Cooking and Booking with Kelli and Allison,” I think it is the beginning of something beautiful.
“The School of Essential Ingredients” by Erica Bauermeister inspired this crossover, and trust me when I tell you that it is an excellent place to start. It is the story of a cooking school where every Monday night, people come together at Lillian’s restaurant for a cooking class. The students couldn’t be more different – Claire is the mother of young children coming to grips with her new identity as a mom; Tom is a lawyer who is consumed with grief; Antonia is an interior designer from Italy learning to live in America; Carl and Helen are an older married couple whose marriage hasn’t always been as picture perfect as it seems. Despite their differences, they all come to the School of Essential Ingredients to learn the secrets behind Lillian’s delicious dishes. They discover that their hunger comes from places much deeper than their stomachs. One by one, they are transformed by what they learn from Lillian and from each other and about themselves. It is a rich and emotional story that showcases how food is the universal language and at the heart of everything we do. Bauermeister’s descriptions of the food and the emotions it brings are lovely. Her vivid descriptions of Tuscany and the south of France captivated me. The love and care put into the descriptions of making fresh tortillas and homemade pasta is inspiring. So inspiring that I finished reading the book and immediately dropped everything to make a huge pot of Pasta Bolognese.
Now, the beauty of this project is that you can turn a page in this newspaper and read about how this book inspired Kelli to make homemade tortillas. I can speak for both of us when we hope you feel inspired to do some “cooking and booking” this week. We can also vouch that food and books are both more fun when you share them. Rumor has it that we will be taking over the internet with a video for “The Fallon Post” – we are going to chat about this book, and Kelli is going to teach me (and you from the comfort of your kitchen) all about tortilla-making. So, stay tuned. Until then, you know where to find me on Instagram @allison.the.reader, rambling and reading daily.
Read Kelli's "Cookin' & Bookin'" Here: What's Cooking in Kelli's Kitchen - Cookin' & Bookin'
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