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Cookbook Update!

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once upon a chef cookbook

Hi All,

It’s been two weeks now since my cookbook came into the world. I hope you’re enjoying it and finding lots of new favorite recipes! I absolutely love seeing your photos and hearing about what dishes you’ve made — please keep sharing with me, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #OnceUponaChefCookbook so I don’t miss your posts!

These past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, and I’m so excited to fill you in on all the details.

First, the biggest news…Thanks to all of YOU, the book hit two bestseller lists: The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this happen!

There’s so much more to share. Keep reading for press features, a gourmet cookware giveaway, book tour dates, and more…

Press Features

Kitchn — Cookbook Review: A Cookbook To Make You Feel Like You Went To Culinary School

Food52 — Transforming Leftovers: Cheesy, Crispy Broccoli Tots Grown-ups & Kids Will Devour

Powell’s Books — My Life In Food…And A Cookbook 20-Plus Years In The Making

Hadassah Magazine — Once Upon A Chef: From Blog To Book

Clean Eating Magazine — Spring’s Hottest New Reads

A Cup of Jo — A Secret Ingredient For Killer Guacamole

Publishers Weekly — Bestsellers

Good Day DC Morning Show — Cooking with Como

Washington Post — Washington Bestsellers

Jewish Food Experience — Cooking Up A Happy Ending

Book Celebration Giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of the book and to thank you for your support, I’m giving away lots of my favorite cookware over the next few months. Congrats to Diane G., who won last week’s Le Creuset Dutch Oven. This week, I’m giving away a 10-piece set of Breville cookware (retail value $500). There are many ways to enter. Click here for details!

Book Tour Dates

Thank you to everyone who came to my Washington, DC book signings — I loved meeting you. (Please send me photos if you have them!) I’m heading up to NYC, Toronto and Chicago next week. Please click on the links to RSVP.

New York City
May 15: Talk and Book Signing at Rizzoli’s (along with cookbook authors Ali Rosen and Justin Chapple, moderated by former Food & Wine Editor Dana Cowin), 6-7PM

Toronto
May 16: Casual Drop-in Book Signing at Indigo Eaton Centre (220 Yonge Street), 5 to 6:30PM (No need to RSVP; just drop in and say hi!)
May 17: The Marilyn Denis Show

Chicago
May 18: Talk and Book Signing at Read It And Eat, 6:30-8:30PM

Washington, DC
May 24: Author Talk at JCC of Greater Washington in Rockville MD, 7PM
June 5: National Press Club Dinner (open to public; details TBA soon!)

LA
June 21 (events TBA)

If I’m not coming to your town, you can pre-order a signed cookbook inscribed any way you wish through Politics & Prose, a bookstore near my home. Click on this link to order a signed book.

How To Get The Book

The book is available wherever books are sold, including the online retailers below:

US: Amazon,  IndieBound
UK: Amazon
Canada: AmazonIndigo
Australia: Booktopia
New Zealand: Cook The Books

Review The Book

If you enjoy the book, one of the BEST things you can do to support me is to review it on Amazon early! Positive reviews make all the difference and really help the book be seen. A few sentences and a rating are all that’s required. THANK YOU to those of you who have already left reviews!

Corrections

Sooo, I spent a zillion hours proofreading this book, and then it came out, and I found a few mistakes in it. I agonized and beat myself up about it for a while…but then I realized that stuff happens, and it’s not the end of the world. Please note the following corrections: 1) For the Smoky BBQ Chicken Breasts (p. 129), the salt should be 1 tsp, and 2) For the Coconut Cupcakes (p. 272), the cream cheese should be 6 oz and the coconut milk in the frosting should be 1/4 cup.

That’s all the news for now. Thank you for supporting this book and, as always, feel free to email me if you have any questions or feedback on the recipes. I’d love to hear from you!

xoxo,

Comments

  • Just got this cookbook last night and I am obsessed with it!! The Moroccan brisket is in the oven now and my house smells amazing!! Can’t wait to try all the other wonderful recipes!! Side note— I made your Quiche Lorraine for Easter and was a HUGE hit!! Thanks for the great recipes!!

    • Thanks so much for your support with the cookbook! Hope the brisket came out well! 🙂

      • It came out perfect!! Looked just like the picture! And tasted amazing!!! My husband said it was one of his new favorite meals 😋 Just made my grocery list to make a few more recipes from the cookbook!! Can’t wait to try them all!!

  • I’m in love with cooking for the first time. I’ve never been much of a cook until I happened across you website. Boy, now I’m really cooking! The recipes make sense and are all so beautiful both in taste and sight. Can’t wait for my next meal-that I prepared myself.
    Thank you –

    • — Kathy Donaldson
    • Reply
    • Thanks for your sweet words, Kathy — you made my day! 💗

  • Congratulations on the success of your book! I will be buying it shortly so I don’t feel like a mooch enjoying the fruits of your hard work for free. The recipes online are fantastic and I have enjoyed many delicious meals and treats – THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

    • You’re so welcome – thank you for your support!! ❤️

  • Jenn—

    I couldn’t be happier for you! I’ve probably prepared 30+ of your recipes (to the T with no modifications which is unlike me) and you are awesome! From your muffins to cakes to Asian-inspired dishes, every one is a win! EVERYTHING comes out to perfection. Your success with your cookbook makes me smile and I sing your praises to all of my girlfriends (as well as anyone who will listen)!

    I wish you continued success and prosperity in all you do!
    -ASB
    @opopeofbanking (instagram)

    • Thanks SO much for your kind words, Arlease! 💗

  • My friend Zina and I were thrilled to meet you for the book signing in Toronto. You are welcomed back any time.

    My question is, when you indicate “heavy cream” in your recipes, do you mean “heavy whipping cream”. In Canada, our creams are listed by percentage of fat, i.e. 10%, 18%, etc., whipping cream being about 35%. I am just wondering how “heavy” you mean.

    Many thanks and again, great to meet you in TO. Love, love, love the new cookbook.

    Christine

    • — Christine LaBerge
    • Reply
    • Hi Christine, thanks so much for coming to the book signing!! I know that there are slightly different percentages of fat in heavy cream and heavy whipping cream, but they are really interchangeable. Hope that helps! 🙂

  • Only tried one recipe so far from the book, a very simple one the Califlower Puree one. Which was another twist on using what’s often a boring bland tasting vegetable in Califlower. So I enjoyed another option in jazzing up the dish a bit to Flavortown. In simplicity food in all its variations, twists, cultural take, recipe hand downs, regional blends, innovations, artistic creativity, simply just offer optional take on any dish so that we have something different to try and eat if we want to try it. We might end up liking it. And that’s why there are billions of recipes and not just one original dish for everything. How boring a world that would be.

    But to get to my second part which was my original intent in posting. I appreciate this follow up post and the feature links from around the web from the book release. I’ve checked out a few the links back to other big and small blogs and outlets. The write ups were interesting which I enjoyed. But I enjoy reading about food and cooking anyway. Maybe I should do my own corner of web review if I could focus enough to write at all. However what I enjoyed from all the links you provided were the amazing amount of comments, some extremely passionate comments and controversy on some the write up post comments. To which I found some of them damn hilarious. As well how passionate some people can get about their point of view in feedback. Like over at COJ, Cup of Joe in the Guacamole comment feedback. To which I saw some your feedback post as well and enjoyed those. A persons take on a dish is their take or twist on whatever it is and in sharing hope others may “Try It” and like it for something a little different. Hey, I liked the Califlower Puree! So I enjoyed all the follow up links for the Cookbook review and in reading the opinion of others in feedback on some the dishes tried. Controversial blog post comments feedback and all which was hilarious 😂 😂. It it’s all just Food in the End!

    • — Urban @ urbanskitchen.com
    • Reply
    • I do love hearing from my readers – and the comments can make for some very interesting reading material!

  • Hello Jenny,
    I wanted to thank you for writing such a beautiful book. I have been reading your blog and it is usually the first place I look when I am looking for inspiration.It was my manager’s birthday and she enjoys cooking but had not heard of you. I got her the book and she was so happy with it. She will be a convert soon.

    • — Florence Kauma
    • Reply
    • So happy you (and your manager) like the book, Florence. Thank you for supporting me! ❤️

  • I bought your book and love it as well as I love the recipes I see online. Your recipes are easy to follow and accurate and yummy I might add. Keep them coming.

    • Thank you so much, Margie! So happy you enjoy them. ❤️

  • From Australia.
    I bought your book from Amazon. Love itt as much as I love all your recipes.
    Keep on cooking.
    Cheryl

    • Thanks Cheryl – I really appreciate you buying the cookbook and am so glad to hear you’re enjoying it! ❤️

  • Do you have any plans to be in Indianapolis? Would love to meet you!!

    • — Carolyn Owsley
    • Reply
    • As of now, I don’t, but if anything changes, I will definitely provide updates on my blog. Thanks for inquiring! ❤️

  • Congratulations, Jenn!! Hope you’ll be able to make it to Berkeley or San Francisco. I would love to meet you in person and tell you that reading your recipes over the years has turned me into a good cook, with a tasty repertoire! I have learned so much from you.
    Best, Patricia

    • Thanks so much for your kind words, Patricia! (As of now, I don’t have any plans to be in Berkeley or San Francisco, but if that changes, I will definitely provide updates on the blog.)

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