Meredith Mileti hosts a Q&A discussion

Hi Cindy, What a great question! First of all, the choice of subject matter was easy. I spend a huge amount of time thinking about food. (If I told you how much time, trust me, you'd be shocked!) It took me about three years full-time to write the novel. I did have to do a fair amount of research. I’m not a professionally trained chef—just an incredibly enthusiastic home cook and all around good eater. I interviewed several professional chefs, visited some restaurant kitchens and I read quite a bit. I found Michael Rhulman’s wonderful series of books (The Life of a Chef, The Soul of a Chef, etc.), as well as Bill Buford’s Heat, extremely informative. Both the interviews and my reading helped me gained some understanding about what kind of person is driven to become a chef, and what kinds of demands—physical as well as emotional and intellectual—the work entails. And the demands are many. It cured me of ever wanting to have a restaurant of my own! I also cooked up a storm. My husband jokes he gained twenty pound during the writing of this book.

Hi Cindy,

Thanks! Every bit of the research was fun! I will be setting out on tour next month. I'll be in Charlotte, NC in October, Chevy Chase, MD in November and I hope to add Boston and New York to the mix sometime later in the fall. As tour dates firm up, I'll be posting them on my website at www.meredithmileti.com.



Cindy wrote: "thanks Meredith! Sounds like a lengthy if not a tasty process, but I imagine that thoughtful research helps with details of the book.
Will you be setting out on a book tour once your book is rele..."

Come to Philadelphia! You would love Redding Terminal Market. So much to see and eat and buy.

Cara wrote: "Come to Philadelphia! You would love Redding Terminal Market. So much to see and eat and buy."

I'd love to! It looks like a wonderful market! Who are some of your favorite vendors?

Iovanni's produce and the Amish bakery are my two favorites and of course Termini's. They fill your cannolli's to order and they are definitely worth the wait in line.