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I'll let the photos speak for themselves. It was a great night!
Venue: powerHouse Arena in Dumbo, BK
Moderator: Leiti Hsu
Food: Fitzcarraldo (white bean crostini, stuffed dates, gravlax and cucumber); Mom (beef curry samosa)
Drinks: Cachaca 51
Dress: Heidi Merrick // Harness: Zana Bayne // Shoes: Marni (similar)
See the full album here. And watch the Q&A here.
Aagh, what an incredible, incredible night!! Thank you so much to everyone who came out. I loved seeing old friends and meeting new ones. My heart is filled with so much appreciation and love.
For those of you who couldn't make it (or those who could and want to relive the moment), here's the entire Q&A with my friend, Leiti Hsu, host of Word of Mouth on Heritage Radio Network, plus some audience questions. I love this sort of format (as opposed to a reading) because I get to have a little fun with the crowd.
I'll have some more stills and behind-the-scenes stuff coming soon!
I know it's pretty long, so here's a rough outline if you wanna skip and jump:
- lowest point of writing
- how the restaurant Daniel helped me get my novel published
- how I reacted when the title FOOD WHORE was proposed to me
- how the distinctive cover art came about
- my take on the state of the restaurant review
- would I want to be the New York Times restaurant critic
- how similar am I to Tia Monroe
- how I came up with the idea of FOOD WHORE
- my background in restaurants and how I was able to get the vibe right
- have I ever dated a chef
- what the original title was
- love lessons I learned as the community director of an online dating site
- (bonus) the story of my engagement
- my writing process
- my biggest takeaways from my 3-year study under Amy Bloom
- the spectrum of insider to outsider -- where do I stand on that?
photo by @j.k0ng
Tomorrow is the official Food Whore launch event! Here’s what you need to know.
The Basics:
Monday, November 2
powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn (just one stop into Brooklyn on the F)
7-9pm
RSVP here (not necessary, but appreciated)
PowerHouse has a history of hosting food-related book launches, including the Van Leeuwen Cookbook, the Food52 Cookbook, and Thug Kitchen, as well as fashion books like Amy Odell’s Tales from the Back Row, Simon Doonan’s The Asylum and Sophia Amoruso’s #GIRLBOSS. It's my dream venue.
I’ll be chatting with my friend Leiti Hsu, host of Word of Mouth on Heritage Radio Network. She’s one of the hardest hustlers in the NYC food game (see: this Cosmopolitan “Get That Life” article about her) and knows restaurant culture inside out.
Obviously, there will be food! Bites will be provided by Fitzcarraldo:
from @fitzbk
White Bean Crostino - Roasted garlic, parsley, lemon
Cucumber & Gravlax - Mascarpone, pickled shallot, black pepper
Stuffed Dates - Curried eggplant, thai basil
There will also be drinks! Wine and cocktails from Cachaca 51. I can’t decide whether to serve this or this. What say you?
I’ll be signing books. You can buy them at powerHouse, or you can just bring books you’ve already purchased elsewhere. (We’ve cleared this with powerHouse and they’re cool with it.) The holidays are coming and I hear the books make great gifts… especially personalized…
I am so completely obsessed with this exclusive Food Whore Apron, a collab with Tilit Chef Goods (who also dresses the staffs at Cosme, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and tons of other top restaurants across the country).
For one, it’s red and black (très NYC). And then it’s the details: the handy pocket, the waxed cotton bottom half which looks almost leather-ish (and stands up to spills while still being breathable and light), proportions that flatter.
Soon, you’ll be able to buy one online. But for now -- you can win it!
HOW TO ENTER:
Tag your Food Whore-related photos with #foodwhore, @jessica_tom and @tilit_chef_goods. And that’s it. The apron will be at the event (and of course event photos make great entries), but you don’t have to be there to win it. The contest ends on Wednesday, November 4th at midnight (it’s a flash giveaway, remember).
Nitty-Gritty:
- Your account must be public, at least to me. A private entry is no entry.
- I’ll scour Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for entries. Every social media network is considered one entry (ie: the same photo posted across three social media networks is three entries).
- The winner will be selected at random and contacted by the end of the week.
- You may enter multiple times.
- Photos must be be posted between 9am Sunday, November 1st and midnight Wednesday, November 4th. Photos posted before the contest announcement are not eligible.
- The apron is valued at $85 and will be shipped to the winner at no cost.
I can't wait to see all of you. 'Til then!