A MOUTHFUL OF STARS COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY

A few years ago, I reached out to one of my favorite authors and culinary heroes -- Kim Sunee. Her first book, The Trail of Crumbs, hit my heart like a ton of bricks. I devoured it on a rainy weekend in Portland, lost in Sunee's web of effortless international travel, full on love story, and descriptions of sensual foods so vivid I had to pick my jaw up off my chest and remember to breathe. It's a beautiful memoir. Fast forward to that initial tentative fan email a while back and then a nice cocktail shared in person and the next thing I knew, Sunee asked me to shoot her next book . . . This one would be more a cookbook than a memoir and continue the story line of an international person discovering home through food: A MOUTHFUL OF STARS was to be the title.

Well I was completely floored and overjoyed at this request -- this whole reaching out to a hero thing was really paying off! A Mouthful of Stars it was-- a few days later I found myself devouring this tale late into the night, reading the recipes, poems and essays Sunee so seamlessly weaves together into a story that swept me away yet again. I immediately set about dreaming up the colorful world her foods would inhabit and grabbed up my friend Adrian Hale to style these delicious meals into their fullest glory!

It was a dream team, to be sure -- an honor to take a small part in -- I have eaten almost all of this book and can personally vouch for each and every recipe! Sunee is an artist with food -- a poet even -- everything dish is somehow simple, homey and utterly elegant. And her stories of adventure, travel and place are stunning. Her poems delight and inspire. I do believe my photographs compliment this genius prose-- she gave me full creative reign, which is the sure fire way to get someone to do their best, of this I'm sure. With my wings set free and my friend Adrian at my side, and Sunee's voice at the end of the line we spun her words into pretty plates of food and then feasted on our handy work as we closed each shoot day. What an experience!

And now the book has just come out -- go and buy it! If you leave a comment here describing what recipe you'd like to make from this book, I'll randomly select someone to send a free copy to by Friday, May 16. Include your email in the comment if it's not automatically linked via your profile.