We ♥ Salami

Recipe for Salami Lovers’ Celebration

Main Ingredients:
Quality food + devotion to all things salami + spirit for sharing.

Add following to above:
Splash of cheer + good stories + perfectly paired wines from Viti Wines.

Include a multitude of the finest, freshest salami and savory complements direct from Oyama Sausage.

Mix above with inquisitive, salami loving guests, taste buds primed with 1 icy martini. Top it off with the chance to win a grand Salami Book worth $650.00 Cdn retail.

Add master sausage maker Jan van der Lieck to above.

Follow Jan’s advice. “Eat with gusto and enjoy!”

Thank you Jan, for making food that makes us feel good and making us feel so good about food. The salami Gods are smiling on us all.

A lucky guest won the draw and took home the giant Salami Book.

We Are All Just Prisoners Here, of Our Own Device...

Under the guise of a book launch for John Lekich's new novel, Prisoner of Snowflake Falls, we managed the successful capture of a few prisoners of our own. For 'chow time', Chef Lawren Moneta turned out Tomato Tarte Tatins, Zuni Cafe Gougeres, Lucques Broad Bean Puree on toast, Mourad's Grilled Kefta with Cilantro Dressing and Grapes - all refreshingly washed down with chilly martinis and white wine. Following a rousing reading by our author, prisoners lined up to chat with John to have their books personalized. Early parole was granted to those prisoners who purchased books, while the remaining were released later on good behaviour with a promise to return.

Some of us are still awaiting release.

Visit our flicker account to view some more photos from this event.

A Sweet Evening for Cooks

We enjoyed an evening full of sweet delights with author Alice Medrich as she brought her culinary magic to take us through some of her favourite dishes from her new (eighth, wow!) cookbook, Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts. Chef Lawren Moneta lent a hand serving up a dinner comprised entirely of sweet dishes – Fragrant Oranges with Ice Cream, Walnuts & Dates, Coconut Meringue with Pineapple and Cream, Sour Cream Soufflés with Honey Balsamic Sauce and a flourless Extra Virgin Chocolate Almond Torte.

Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts is the 'go-to' book for those who count themselves as cooks, rather than bakers, looking for a repertoire of sweet endings for their meals at home.

The Queen's Hours

The Queen has decreed the following shop hours to celebrate Her birthday.

Saturday, May 19: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 20: 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Victoria Day: 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Mi Casa es Su Casa for Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, bring a new purchase of Studio Patro from Casa Home Decor (just one block away!) and we will take 10% off any book purchase. We will even wrap your book in the beautiful tea towl for a great gift package. If you bring a new purchase from Books to Cooks to Casa, you will receive 10% off a Studio Patro purchase. Offer ends May 14.

She's Leaving on a Float Plane

All her bags are packed and she’s ready to go…(don't forget your gumboots) Barbara-jo’s off to west coast for the Tofino Food and Wine Festival on the first weekend in June. Invited as a guest speaker, Barbara-jo will be bringing a little Parisienne flair to the event as she takes her little Parisienne Romance with Recipes, Cooking for Me and Sometimes You on tour.

Since its humble beginnings in 2003 as a small, local event, the festival has grown into a major destination for food-lovers and tourists drawn both by the glorious setting and the promise of excellent quality food and wine provided by local chefs and wineries. Barbara-jo is thrilled to be a part of this food & wine celebratory weekend. For her event on Sunday, June 3^rd, Barbara-jo will take visitors from the wild west coast to chic streets,  romantic cafès and irresistible patisseries as she shares her journey of living, cooking and loving in Paris.

Intrigued? Visit the website for the 10^th annual Tofino Food and WineFestival to find out more about all the wonderful events planned for the weekend.

Snowfall Warning in Effect for 2nd Avenue Bookstore

Join us for an evening of mystery, intrigue and surprise treats on Friday, May 11^th as we celebrate the release of our good friend John Lekich’s new novel for young adults published by Orca Books in Victoria. Already garnering terrific reviews, The Prisoner of Snowflake Falls should be on everyone’s reading list this spring – read it before the snow melts on Grouse.

Meet John at his book launch and  he'll personalize your copy.

  School Library Journal - May 1, 2012

"There are plenty of amusing parts and the language...is playful and Runyon-esque...This is a charming, funny coming-of-age story with terrific writing, characters to root for, and a completely satisfying ending to a silly caper."

CM Magazine - April 6, 2012

"It is almost impossible not to like Henry Hollaway...Lekich has provided Henry with an engaging story and a powerful voice. He has created a novel that has both a retro feel and contemporary issues...Lekich encourages us to think we can predict what will happen and then always surprises us. Recommended."

Bring your favourite teen reader to come out and support a local author!

Italian Soul Food

A true merging of cook and book that we couldn’t resist sharing…

The first and only cookbook you can actually read, cook and eat. Made out of 100% fresh pasta it can be opened, filled with ingredients and finally be cooked. Packaged as classic lasagna, the lasagna cookbook was designed by German design company, Korefe (perhaps a Strudel cookbook is in the works) as a special project for a large publishing house.

Assemble, read, cook, mangia!

My Pizza, Your Pizza

Both ovens were fired up last night as our 'resident baker' Chris Brown of Rise Artisan Breads unravelled the mysteries of making the perfect pizza. With Jim Lahey's My Pizza in hand, Chris went through all the steps and techniques from dough to toppings. Guests sampled Margherita Pie, Flambe Pie, and Bird's Nest Pie, while Mark made sure all had their daily greenswith a Radicchio and a Pea Shoot Salad. All were in agreement that a) as always Chris makes it look easy and b) the Bird's Nest Pie with Asparagus will become a regular on their own pizza night menu.

‘The Renegade Cuisine Queen' Drops in for Dinner

Despite by the fact that a flight delay from Toronto meant she was the last to arrive at an event in her honour, Chef Lynn Crawford breezed into a shop-full of guests as unfazed and welcoming as if late for a family get together. Without missing a beat, Lynn made her way to the front of the crowd, humbly apologizing for her tardiness before eagerly inquiring,”What’s for dinner?”  She was gung ho to try the mini Tomato Tarte Tatins that Chef Lawren Moneta had prepared from Pitchin' In and gave Lawren a hearty thumbs-up on her interpretation of the Shrimp Crostini with Bouillabaisse Relish.

After introductions were made and her wine glass filled, Lynn jumped right into answering a slew of questions. The adoring and loyal fans of her Food Network shows Restaurant Makeover and Pitchin’ In that filled the shop wanted to know everything from the secret to her television success – “a generous spirit and love of sharing the fun of cooking with people”, to her favourite filming moment - “a luncheon graciously, and every so slowly served by a farmer in his 90’s”.  The only time she missed a beat was when momentarily distracted by the feast of books around her – clearly a cookbook lover.

While platters of Red Velvet Cupcakes were passed around guests queued up to meet Lynn, have their photos taken and new books personalized.

Lynn’s back and picking up where she left off on a new season of Food Network’s Pitchin’ In seeking out the best ingredients around the world and enjoying taking her family of fans along for the ride. She's a wonderful chef with an infectious appetite for cooking and life.  It was a treat to introduce our shop to her and show her a good Vancouver welcome.