THE FLAVOR BIBLE
is a Finalist for the
2009 James Beard Foundation Book Award,
which will be presented on Monday, May 4th,
at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in NYC

(Follow the results live from 6-9 pm ET at twitter.com/beardfoundation)

Dear Friends,

We can't thank you enough for your incredible support of THE FLAVOR BIBLE since its publication this past fall. But we're going to ask you for one more favor: Could you please keep your fingers crossed for the book, which is up for a 2009 James Beard Foundation Book Award tomorrow night at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall? With your 54,184 collective crossed fingers (plus four of our own!), we couldn't help but feel luckier. Thanks!

At least two Web sites (Eat Me Daily and Project Foodie) suggest odds favoring THE FLAVOR BIBLE to win -- but as we've learned in past years, anything can happen on Awards night. Ten years ago, our book DINING OUT was up for a 1999 James Beard Book Award...and lost to a book called Man Eating Bugs about edible insects. So, you never know!

THE FLAVOR BIBLE has been keeping us so busy that we have to apologize that this is the first e-newsletter we've had a chance to send out this year -- so we have a lot of news to catch up on:

- We're very grateful that THE FLAVOR BIBLE was cited as one of the best food books of 2008 in countless media -- including "Good Morning America," People magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle.

- In what our editor confirmed was the single best newspaper feature on any book ever, former New Yorker columnist Emily Nunn (who has a delightful blog called Cook The Wolf) wrote an insightful three-page ode to THE FLAVOR BIBLE in the January 28th Chicago Tribune.

- The April 2009 issue of Runner's World features a photo of us (plus Andrew's recipe for Pork Tenderloin with Plum Salsa) in its monthly recipe feature "The Athlete's Palate."

- Oprah Winfrey's team at O magazine loves THE FLAVOR BIBLE, too -- and features it in an eight-page article in the historic April 2009 issue (which features First Lady Michelle Obama on its cover) that was inspired by our book.

We'll look forward to keeping in better touch with you. Please feel free to follow us on our brand-new Twitter account at www.twitter.com/karenandandrew, and to check out our Blog at www.becomingachef.com. We plan to post the results of the 2009 James Beard Awards as soon as we're back!

Fingers crossed,
Andrew & Karen

Oprah Winfrey on THE FLAVOR BIBLE:

"...And speaking of inspired, when is the last time you felt that way in the kitchen? Our guide to creative cooking will give you the confidence to play with flavor — and open yourself to a delicious new experience (page 148)."
—Oprah Winfrey, in O magazine (April 2009)

"...Let's say you don't even know where to begin guessing what flavors might work well together. Don't despair. For help and inspration, we turned to Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, an innovative guide to the many different ways you can combine ingredients without resorting to recipes. They've compiled a list of 600-plus food entries, arranged alphabetically (from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms). Underneath each food, they've included a list of complementary ingredients, or 'flavor affinities,' that pair well with it — from herbs and spices to nuts and meats..."
—Celia Barbour, "The Creative Cook" in O magazine, an eight-page feature inspired by THE FLAVOR BIBLE (April 2009)

"On the Shelves of the Professionals: Home cooks and gluttons for food photography aren't the only people who benefit from a great cookbook. Many of the country's best chefs rely on caches of cookbooks to derive continual inspiration and to relearn vital lessons of the kitchen. SAVEUR reached out to a handful of professional chefs and writers to find out which cookbooks have been stained with wine and oil and earmarked with copious notes...Michael Laiskonis, pastry chef, Le Bernardin, New York City: CULINARY ARTISTRY and THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Among all the 'cookbooks' in my collection, CULINARY ARTISTRY may well be the most beaten and battered. What Page and Dornenburg catalogued in these volumes are the building blocks used in dishes, and it's basically a reference guide to what goes well with what. More than simply helping to generate ideas and flavor combinations, the books also address, from a chef's perspective, how and why these marriages work. THE FLAVOR BIBLE, their latest book, builds upon the first and tracks our evolution in that ten-year interim. Every time I glance at these books, I see something new."
—Alexandra Collins, Saveur (March 2009)

"Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard

"Conversation with a Top Chef: Stephanie Izard....Q. Do you have a favorite cookbook?
A. CULINARY ARTISTRY."
—Heather Pare, HangryPants.com (February 25, 2009)

OUR RECENT TRAVELS

Carrie Crespo, Jordan Mackay, Baroness Sheri de Borchgrave,
Aaron Hicklin, Scott Hocker, winemaker Jerome Margnat,
Julie Besonen, Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg at La Borie

April 2009: We joined a fun group of fellow journalists on a visit to the south of France, which was an eye-opening introduction to the pleasures of Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, and even lesser-known grape varietals as expressed through the unique terroir of the Rhone Valley. Chateau La Borie winemaker Jerome Margnat (in the unforgettably cool orange pants -- and his wines are just as unforgettable!) shared this photo with us.

Venison with pine sprigs and wild berry sauce at Panache

April 2009: We fell in love with the Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec City (a city we last visited on our 1990 honeymoon), when we spent a long weekend there last month. This extraordinary Relais & Chateaux property is as much a museum as it is an inn, and boasts an impressive restaurant in Panache, where we enjoyed an excellent dinner and two wonderful breakfasts. Travel & Leisure has cited it as one of the 100 best hotels on the planet, but we'd place it on the short list of our Top 5 favorites in North America.

Auberge Saint-Antoine and its exquisite Panache restaurant (which is open daily for breakfast and dinner, and for for lunch on weekdays) are at 8 rue Sainte-Antoine in the heart of Quebec City's Old Port. Phone: (418) 692-2211. Web: www.saint-antoine.com. A 25-minute taxi from Quebec City Airport. 83 rooms (starting at $169, Canadian — about $136, U.S.), 12 suites (up to $989, Canadian). Luxurious linens, free Internet, cool gym/spa, warm service.

OUR READERS WRITE

"How might I sign up to receive Andrew and Karen's newsletter? We have selected WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT for our April book club meeting...Everyone is raving about it!"
—T. Beck, Columbus, Georgia

"Karen and Andrew, Thanks for bringing the Culinary Stage to life and being part of our first Festival of Books [on March 14-15, 2009]."
—Nancy Ledeboer, Tucson Festival of Books, Tucson, Arizona

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page
527 Third Ave.  Suite 130
New York, NY  10016
Phone:  (212) 642-5870   
Email: DornenburgPage@aol.com
Web: www.becomingachef.com
Blog: www.becomingachef.com/blog.dwt.php
Twitter: www.twitter.com/karenandandrew