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The making of my own cookbook

gfron1

By gfron1
in Cookbooks & References

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huiray

huiray

Posted
Posted (edited)

Where is your dinner going to be held in Indianapolis?

Will there be any other chefs involved?

Will the dinner feature stuff foraged in-and-around Indy or stuff in "more general situations or locales"?

I pre-ordered your book through your website some time ago - is the Indy dinner inclusive of a cookbook or is it not? (I don't need a second copy of the book)

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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

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On June 21, 2016 at 10:31 AM, huiray said:

Where is your dinner going to be held in Indianapolis?

Will there be any other chefs involved?

Will the dinner feature stuff foraged in-and-around Indy or stuff in "more general situations or locales"?

I pre-ordered your book through your website some time ago - is the Indy dinner inclusive of a cookbook or is it not? (I don't need a second copy of the book)

 

Hey - I saw some purslane in a garden along side Maryland Ave by the Westin. You could forage it in advance for Rob.

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

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gfron1

gfron1

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On 6/21/2016 at 8:31 AM, huiray said:

Where is your dinner going to be held in Indianapolis?

Will there be any other chefs involved?

Will the dinner feature stuff foraged in-and-around Indy or stuff in "more general situations or locales"?

I pre-ordered your book through your website some time ago - is the Indy dinner inclusive of a cookbook or is it not? (I don't need a second copy of the book)

 

Sorry for the delay. I just moved my life across country and am just tonight back online. To answer your questions - I am still looking for a site in Indy. I will work alone although I might pull in a culinary student for the assist. Time and weather will determine if I use local ingredients. I know I am going to stock up on my New Mexico acorns because they're so awesome! And for folks who pre-ordered the book I'll be adjusting the price of the dinner...not sure how but probably telling them to pay for their seat the night of instead of on the website.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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huiray

huiray

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Posted
3 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Hey - I saw some purslane in a garden along side Maryland Ave by the Westin. You could forage it in advance for Rob.

Heh. (Was it on public land or private?)

 

1 hour ago, gfron1 said:

Sorry for the delay. I just moved my life across country and am just tonight back online. To answer your questions - I am still looking for a site in Indy. I will work alone although I might pull in a culinary student for the assist. Time and weather will determine if I use local ingredients. I know I am going to stock up on my New Mexico acorns because they're so awesome! And for folks who pre-ordered the book I'll be adjusting the price of the dinner...not sure how but probably telling them to pay for their seat the night of instead of on the website.

Thanks for the reply.

Hope you settle in nicely in StL.

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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

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7 hours ago, huiray said:

Heh. (Was it on public land or private?)

 

Not sure about that - it was a garden that looks like it was maintained (but not well considering the huge 'weed' growth).

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

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gfron1

gfron1

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8 hours ago, huiray said:

Heh. (Was it on public land or private?)

I'll tell you what, this question really is resonating with me right now. In the past three months I've engaged with four different professional foragers, all of whom I have serious concerns about their ethics. Names are irrelevant, but they all work for nationally known chefs. A Chicago-based forager told me that his chef said he wanted some Lillies, so he walked down the street and snipped a bunch from a local bank's flower box. That's stealing. That's polluted. You don't know if pesticides were used. My problem is with the chef who doesn't care enough to ask where/how the plant was foraged. I wonder how the customers of that restaurant would feel knowing that's where their meal came from.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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Alex

Alex

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3 hours ago, gfron1 said:

My problem is with the chef who doesn't care enough to ask where/how the plant was foraged.

 

Or doesn't care, period. Or perhaps the forager lied. All problems, of course.

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up all the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge. -Horace Mann, education reformer, politician

 

Read to children. Vote. And never buy anything from a man who's selling fear. -Mary Doria Russell, science-fiction writer

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Alex said:

 

Or doesn't care, period. Or perhaps the forager lied. All problems, of course.

 

Would misrepresenting the provenance be foragery?

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Alex

Alex

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Posted
17 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Would misrepresenting the provenance be foragery?

 

 

:D:P

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up all the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge. -Horace Mann, education reformer, politician

 

Read to children. Vote. And never buy anything from a man who's selling fear. -Mary Doria Russell, science-fiction writer

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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  • 1 month later...
gfron1

gfron1

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At long last - an update!

I received a review on Publisher's Weekly. Quite frankly, I wasn't happy with it even though it was a favorable review. My problem was that they ignored the 80+ easy recipes and focused on the 2 hard ones. So I ignored the review because why would I want to promote that. 

 

Both my agent and editor were happy about the review. When I shared my concern the editor sent me this:

Quote

I agree with you, for sure, but overall it was a really positive review. PW rarely reviews cookbooks, and oftentimes their reviews are very harsh, so this is definitely in the win column. Bookstores may consider trade reviews when ordering the book for their shelves, but customers rarely do. (Very few customers know what PW, Kirkus, etc. even are.)

So, now I like this review :) even though I still won't promote it. This publishing world continues to fascinate me.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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Smithsonian magazine story

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gfron1

gfron1

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Today I started a Facebook page specifically for the book. I mentioned earlier in this thread that I thought it made more sense to keep likes/friends/follows focused on my existing social media, but when I tried to Promote a page from my personal page I wasn't able - you can't promote on personal pages. So I moved the post over to my old restaurant page, but that's confusing since I'm promoting with city-specific audiences and they won't know what a Curious Kumquat is. Today I went ahead and started the new page. While I may not get many Likes on it at this late date, I will be able to promote through it. 

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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gfron1

gfron1

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Spent the morning promoting the book to anyone in New Mexico or Missouri that does holiday gift guides. Now's the time since most of them are monthly magazines. I'm also deciding which IACF category to submit the book for consideration. I'm leaning the First Timers category, but I may do Chef/Restaurant. I think I have a better chance in the First Timer category. All books are automatically entered in the design category which I think we have a strong chance at.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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Alex

Alex

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I just received a confirmation email from my local library system: "Thank you for recommending Acorns & Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm & Field...I have ordered it and placed a hold for you. You will be notified when it is ready to pick up at your home library."

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up all the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge. -Horace Mann, education reformer, politician

 

Read to children. Vote. And never buy anything from a man who's selling fear. -Mary Doria Russell, science-fiction writer

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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gfron1

gfron1

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4 hours ago, Alex said:

I just received a confirmation email from my local library system: "Thank you for recommending Acorns & Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm & Field...I have ordered it and placed a hold for you. You will be notified when it is ready to pick up at your home library."

That's super fun! I'll tell my friends in GR that they can thank you :)

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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Smithsonian magazine story

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  • 3 weeks later...
gfron1

gfron1

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Be kind to me my friends ... this is my first video. I will be releasing a series of videos in support of Acorns & Cattails being published on September 20th. These videos allowed me to get into what's important and exciting about foraging. Enjoy! HERE

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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gfron1

gfron1

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I learned late on Friday (after my publisher's office closed in NYC) that the book will be shipping next week - 3 weeks early! I'm sure I'll hear more on Monday, but if you were waiting til the last minute to order - now is the time. And if you ordered through our website and want a custom inscription for a gift or yourself, please send that asap. Thanks again for all your support to this point, and please encourage your friends to get one as well to show your appreciation for good scratch food, foraging, beautiful photography or just me :)

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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gfron1

gfron1

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7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Amazon says the book is now in stock.  I just placed my order.

 

This whole thread has been about learning, and even as we near the end it appears I'm learning about distribution. I'm interested to hear from my publisher when I will get my books for the folks who ordered through my site.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

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