Dorie Greenspan

This weekend, authors will be converging on Arkansas’ capital city for the annual Arkansas Literary Festival. There will be a wide range of events, from author talks to concerts to cooking demonstrations that people can check out and enjoy.

One of the highlights of the festival will be Dorie Greenspan, a New York Times Magazine columnist and a five-time James Beard Award winner. She is the author of 13 cookbooks and has had two New York Times bestsellers.

 For the festival, she will be bringing her newest cookbook, Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook.

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook

AY got the chance to talk to Dorie about her new cookbook and the literary festival. Also, click here to find out where you can see Dorie this weekend.

Where did the idea for you book come from?

I’ve written a lot about cooking and home baking. I did a book in 2010 called Around My French Table. That was based on my experiences living in France. It was my first “cookbook cookbook.”

This one looks back at how my cooking has changed over the years. It really does show the way I cook – just simple…and practical. I wrote a lot of the recipes in book living Connecticut, far from markets. So I learned how to be resourceful, foraging in my refrigerator and pantry and clever in how I use ingredients.

The cooking is very practical and, I think, delicious.

How did you start cooking?

I didn’t burn it down completely, but I caused a lot of damage. I burned down my parents’ kitchen when I was 8. That was my first cooking experience. I was trying to make frozen French fries. That was a disaster. I didn’t cook again. But I got married when I was a senior in college, so I had to cook. My husband had his first job, so there was nothing for it – I had to cook.

For some reason, I loved it. Not that I was good at it. It took me a while to get good. I loved doing something with my hands. I loved sharing it. I loved having people over.

What makes a good meal?

This is a really hard question. The sign of a good meal is happy people at the end of it.

Just being happy together and being around the table and talking. What makes a truly good meal is people being comfortable and happy being together. That’s what food does. Food can bring people together.

Are you looking forward to the literary festival?

I’m looking forward to coming to the city. I’m hoping I’ll get to poke around the city. As a food writer, I love the work that I do. But I love the opportunity, when the work is done, to come out and talk to people about it…

I’m really looking forward to hearing what other people have to say about the book.

READ MORE: 2019 Arkansas Literary Festival