Five Heavy-Hitting Cookbook Authors to Visit the Bay Area

Maybe those of you in the South Bay haven’t had a chance to eat the fried chicken and popovers at Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco yet. But you can still meet its chef-owner up close and personal.

Tyler Florence will be in San Jose at 5 p.m. Oct. 19 at Sur La Table in Santana Row for a Q&A session and a book signing of his latest cookbook, “Tyler Florence Family Meal” (Rodale Books).

The new cookbook is a collection of recipes he makes for family, including his wife and kids, as well as restaurant colleagues.

Attendees are encourage to pre-purchase the cookbook, available beginning on Oct. 12.

His fellow Food Network darling, Rachael Ray, also will be stopping by Sur La Table in Santana Row in San Jose at 3 p.m. Dec. 11.

Ray will be signing copies of her new cookbook, “Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook” (Clarkson Potter), filled with 100 recipes, each with step-by-step, full-color photos that illustrate how to create the dish.

Again, attendees are encouraged to pre-purchase the book, available beginning Nov. 2.

The doyenne of Mexican cuisine, Diana Kennedy, will hold court at Caffe Tazzina in Santa Cruz, 4 p.m. Oct. 26.

In Kennedy’s new book, “Oaxaca al Gusto” (University of Texas Press), she takes us on a culinary journey through the culturally diverse state of Oaxaca.

The free event begins with a book signing, then a discussion afterward. Copies of the cookbook are available for purchase at the Capitola Book Cafe.

Meet Jake Gandolfo, the Felton resident and heavy equipment operator, who made such a valiant showing on the first season of the American version ofร‚ย  “MasterChef.”

Gandolfo, who was a semi-finalist on that show, will appear at Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz, noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 9 to promote the new “MasterChef Cookbook” (Rodale Books). The cookbook includes more than 80 recipes from this year’s contestants, including Gandolfo.

The event will feature live music, food, wine tastings, beer and door prizes. The entry fee is $25 per person and includes a copy of his signed cookbook, as well as the chance to indulge in a fun food-wine pairing: Gandolfo’s chocolate ganache cupcakes (which won the “MasterChef” cupcake challenge) with Poetic Cellars Cabarnet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Finally, learn how cooking and science intersect when Jeff Potter hosts a fun evening, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 14, at the Purcell Murray Culinary Amphitheater in Brisbane.

Potter is the author of “Cooking for Geeks” (O’Reilly), which features profiles and recipes that illustrate delicious scientific results. Yours truly is proud to be included in this book for my take on making preserved lemons.

The evening will begin with the unveiling of a mystery ingredient and a discussion of flavor and taste sensations. That will be followed by a three-course dinner with wine or beer, as well as demonstrations from the book.

Price of the event is $65 and includes a copy of the book.

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