I Never Promised You a Cookbook is Published

I Never Promised You a Cookbook  is  a memoir cookbook by veteran journalist and author Rita Papazian that offers a combination of personal  essays,  recipes  and interviews conducted with many celebrity chefs. The recipes are culled from the author’s and her mother’s recipe files representing many family recipes from the `50s, `60s, and `70s.  

No only are the recipes easy to prepare, but Papazian offers a glimpse into the personalities and talents of today’s popular celebrity chefs, including Rachael Ray, Rocco DiSpirito, Mark Bittman, Lidia Bastianich, Michel Nischan, among others.

The author takes pride in the blend of memoir and cookbook for the combination enhances enjoyment for the reader who gets to meet some of her friends and family through their connections to the recipes. The memoir format and family recipes keep alive the personalities of family members and the recipes themselves. In one essay she contrasts her mother and mother-in-law in the way in which the women wore aprons. For example, while sitting down to dinner, her mother would remove her apron to heighten her appearance, while her mother-in-law would keep her apron on as a sign she was always ready to serve family members.

When asked what is unique about her memoir cookbook’s recipes, Papazian says that while the recipes are quite basic, the fact that she has combined her personal essays with celebrity chef interviews brings those chefs and their wholesome advice and expertise right into the home kitchen. For example, Rachael Ray suggests taking the last few tablespoons of peanut butter sitting in the bottom of the jar and turning it into a spicy Thai peanut sauce as a dip for chicken tenders or pour over a pound of warm whole-wheat noodles and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions. As an added tip, Ray says, “loosen the peanut butter in the jar by microwaving it with the lid off for 30 seconds on high.” She then continues with the recipe for making the dipping sauce. Mark Bittman discusses how he weans away from the number of animal products and junk food by eating a diet that is “nearly ‘vegan’ until six.”

The author encourages others to create their own memoir cookbook. Such a project not only records the family recipes, but also taps into memories that may lie dormant. The format encourages conversations among family members, and provides a lasting record for future generations.

Papazian’s  journalism career spans over 35 years as a reporter and editor, plus teaching at the college level in Connecticut .  Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The New York Times. In recent years, she has focused on memoir writing and offers workshops in the genre.  She is also author of Remembering Fairfield: Famous People & Historic Places; Gioacchino: Memoir of an Italian Immigrant, and Fairfield, Connecticut: 350 Years.

I Never Promised You a Cookbook is available at: 
www.amazon.com  and at www.barnesandnoble.com for $14.95.