Molly Wizenberg also deserves her own post, she is a local Seattle Restaurant owner, blogger, writer, and mother. I highly reccomend reading both of her books, good fall reading, great for food lovers, seattle lovers, paris lovers, or anyone with a heart, soul, or palette.
My sweet friend Kim recently called this blog, my shop around the corner. I consider that a high compliment, not only because it was Meg Ryan at her peak, but because it represents pursuing the stirrings of your soul. Molly Wiezenberg’s books are her shop around the corner. The restaurant Delancy is the shop around the corner their marriage built. I have loved reading her journey of life through food, love, book writing, and restaurant building.
She captures the essence of following your dreams through the exciting and weary times. She is honest, but never whiny, humorous, but never snarky. I read Delancy in one day. This avid reader has never finished a non-fiction book in that time frame. These books are delicious slices of life.
A Homemade Life
To finish this book I sat down on a Sunday night with a glass of wine, a plate lined with small rectangles of unusual cheese, and a hunk of bread ripped in half; half to eat with the cheese, half smeared with butter, a dessert of sorts. A Homemade Life is rich and delightful. The book reads like a story, but set in a land of delicious eats. Molly tells the story of her life one recipe at a time. It never lags, it never feel forced or contrived. Her love story flows out of her shared love of food with her sweet and charming husband. You will want to eat, cook, drink, love, and live boldly after you read this book. I never buy books, I am a strict library patron, but I need this book on my shelf. I am bringing her Apples Tarte Tatin to our book club this week. I am thankful she suggests using pastry dough from Trader Joe’s, and I am anxious to try her fennel salad and Ratatouille. When the author met her husband her friend cheered her on saying, “Don’t stop now. This is the bread and butter! This is what it is all about.” I smiled as I finished the book and finished my bread and butter in my cozy home on a Sunday night. This book is bread and butter. Savor it to the end.
To Order this book on Amazon, click here:
A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table
Delancey
Getting to experience Delancy was a practice in patience. I saw this book on the Seattle Public Library website and requested it. I was number 184 in line. I waited from April to October to get my copy. Then a friend asked me if I wanted to go to dinner at Delancy, she had heard it was good. It is a small pizza place in a tucked away Seattle Neighborhood. We tried to go on a Saturday night, an hour wait. We went to a neighborhood pub. We went back on a Saturday night, prepared for a wait, and we waited 45 minutes. The pizza was worth it, totally and completely worth it. I wanted a group of my great girlfriend’s to come and experience the pizza with me, we set a date. I got there an hour early, put our name in, and then read in my car by flashlight for an hour. We waited another hour for the diners before us to finish their pizza and chit-chat over coffee. The wonderful hostess that handles the front playfully suggested we stare them down a bit. I did. They sipped their coffee.
Delancy, the book and the restaurant, were worth the wait. I was enchanted by the story of their unrelenting determination to open their own little pizza place. Many books I have read lately are about the pursuit of deep rooted dreams. Delancy is the story of the dream to bring impeccably delectable wood fired pizza to Seattle. I truly respect the people of Seattle with vision that make old things new and restore instead of destruct. Molly and her husband do exactly that. I felt a kinship with this book, at first I thought it is because I am Seattle resident; the story takes place in a ten mile radius from my home. However, it is the story, not the setting that draws you in as a reader. Regardless of where you live, the story is poignant, and reads like a novel. It leaves you with a feeling of contentment and inspiration to pursue your relentless desires. You will cheer for Molly and her husband. Go to Delancy, you will dream of the White Pie long after it is finished.
To Order this book on Amazon, click here:
Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage
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Ava Lavender is born with a set of wings. This peculiar feature leads her to ponder her family roots. The is the premise of the magical and tragic story of Ava’s heritage. I loved the rich language and the odd events which marked each person’s life in the Lavender family. I am a lover of Seattle history and stories set in our rain soaked city. The story follows generations of Ava’s ancestors, and what lead them to carve out a living in early Seattle. Love lost and found is the thread that follows all of Ava’s ancestors through their lives. This book makes you feel the rich beauty of green mossy landscapes, seasons of bright daffodils, and the relentless Northwest grey sky. Ava’s story is sad, redemptive, and lovely. Its core message reflects upon what we do for love, the cage of heartache, and learning to fly free again. I loved this story, the magical realism is perfection, and the story is whimsically beautiful.
Beginnings and Book Ends 