Books, Pitch

Jim Gaffigan, Dad Is Fat author, on his way to our fat town

Scott Wilson — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:21:00 -0500

"People keep bringing up wistfulness," Jim Gaffigan says. We're on the phone, talking about Dad Is Fat, the comedian and actor's first book.…

John Mackey, Bobby Deen & Michael Pollan headed to KC in 2013

Jonathan Bender — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:00:21 -0600

A cookbook author and three men who want to change the way you eat are part of the early lineup for food writers headed to Kansas City in 2013.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and professor Raj Sisodia discuss their book, Conscious Capitalism, on Thursday, January 31.…

Kirk and Davis are back on bookshelves with "America's Best Ribs"

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:00:51 -0500

It's summer and that means a new guide to grilling from Chef Paul Kirk and Ardie A. Davis, two of the founders of the Kansas City Barbecue Society. The duo have written 11 barbecue cookbooks between them (many co-authored), and the latest is "America's Best Ribs," a collection of recipes, tips and stories about ribs of nearly every meat variety.…

Rachael Ray coming to KC in June to talk burgers

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:30:35 -0500

Kansas City will get a little perkier in June when Food Network star Rachael Ray takes the stage at Unity Temple on the Plaza (707 W. 47th St.) to talk about her cookbook, The Book of Burger.

Ray will be in town Sunday, June 10, at 4:30 p.m. for a 90-minute conversation with Vivien Jennings, the founder of event organizer Rainy Day Books.…

Author Sylvie Hogg Murphy on "A Food Lover's Guide to Kansas City"

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:30:00 -0500

It's a funny thing when a travel writer turns her eyes to a new hometown and discovers (not unlike Frommers) that it's a destination unto itself. Sylvie Hogg Murphy, the author of "A Food Lover's Guide to Kansas City," moved here in 2008 after meeting her now-husband, a native son of Kansas City.…

Hungry for squirrel and dumplings? We have a recipe for you!

Charles Ferruzza — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:43:32 -0500

Nothing beats the smell of squirrel being fried in the skillet," writes Bernadette Dryden in her new cookbook, Cooking Wild in Missouri."It fills up the kitchen with a wonderful aroma."

Now I wouldn't mind tasting a little squirrel fricassee (particularly a few of the pesky scamps eating the tomatoes in my backyard), but I haven't ever had the opportunity ... yet. So what does squirrel taste like?…

Calvin Trillin coming back to KC in September

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:30:37 -0500

The man who once suggested that Arthur Bryant's was "the single best restaurant in the world" is coming back to Kansas City. Humorist Calvin Trillin will be speaking about his new book, Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny Stuff, on Tuesday, September 27, at 7 p.m.

The Kansas City-born writer currently lives in Greenwich Village but has always maintained a connection to this city, in part because of the famous statement about the barbecue at 18th and Brooklyn that he made to Playboy in 1974.…

No waiting around for David Hayden's book on earning bigger tips

Charles Ferruzza — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:13:04 -0500

If all servers in Kansas City took their profession as seriously as David Hayden -- waiter, blogger, consultant -- the local restaurant scene would be a very different place. Hayden is a career waiter, an occupation that once garnered more respect than it does now.…

Stephen Fried wants Kansas City to remember the Harvey family

Charles Ferruzza — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:43:24 -0500

Kansas City just can't get enough of author Stephen Fried. The Pennsylvania-based journalist attracted a standing room-only crowd last year at the Kansas City National Archives when he gave a presentation based on his hardcover biography, Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West.

Fred Harvey (1835-1901) wasn't just the first truly great restaurateur in the United States, he created a business that was a major Kansas City corporation for the first half of the 20th century.…

Book Review: Life, on the Line is choppy but intense

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:30:05 -0500

When you sit down to write about yourself, it's difficult to step away and figure just how much the reader needs to know to follow your story.

And in the compelling Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death and Redefining the Way We Eat, chef Grant Achatz and business partner Nick Kokonas struggle with that very issue.…