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I Am A Chef
gourmet articlesarchivei am a chef
June C. Jacobs
Feastivals was "born" in 1982 in my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. After an inaugural whirlwind holiday season, the young catering company hit the "Januarys." I found employment as Sous Chef at The Chicago Caterers where I began an apprenticeship with Chef Judith Dunbar Hines (then the Executive Chef) that spanned 2 1/2 years, and established me as both a caterer and a culinary educator of note.

I took my knives and stockpots to the East Coast where Feastivals became a well-known byword for the best in sophisticated entertainment in both Boston and New York. Soon a fixture on the faculty at the Boston Center for Adult Education I taught myriad courses, from Provençal cooking and Jewish Holiday fare to Pizza, Chocolate, Chicken, Creole cuisine and Fondue from 1985 - 95.

Now a familiar face in the New York culinary community, I am a Director of the New York Association of Cooking Teachers, and an active member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. These days Iım concentrating on consulting for food and wine related products and restaurants, teaching cooking classes around the country, and leading food-and-wine focused tours to France and the world.

Feastivals Cooks at Home is my first book. Itıs been "in the works" for a long time, because the recipes in the book come from my 18 years of teaching cooking, my 10 years as a full service caterer, and from my lifetime of eating (and cooking) great food with family and friends. A few years ago I worked with an agent to sell a proposal to a major publisher. When the opportunity came to publish a book myself, I decided to take the chance. The REAL job of promoting a cookbook always truly rests with the author, so HERE I AM, WORLD!

The book ­ from contract to release ­ took just under a year to accomplish, since most of the recipes were already well tested. I chose Wimmer (in Memphis, TN) to do my book with because I liked the books theyıd produced for several of my colleagues. They provide wonderful marketing support by representing me to the major booksellers, by acting as a distributor, and by acting as my agent on many occasions.

Publishing your own book definitely gives you ­ the chef and author ­ control over how the finished product looks in every area of publication. Wimmer provides consultants and coordinators to help with design decisions. I ended up doing my own photography because itıs something I love to do and felt confident about. That I saved substantial dollars by being able to do it was just frosting on the cake.

My target audience for Feastivals Cooks at Home is the people who have been, are and will be my students ­ avocational cooks. My mission as a cooking teacher has always been to impart the joy of cooking and of creating delicious and healthful food for family and friends. The recipes in this book reflect my three passions in teaching: to eat the freshest possible foods, and with the seasons; to enjoy wine as an integral part of the meal; to select and prepare fish simply. There are also dishes and information to interest the professional chef. Only a few months after publication, the book is already opening doors for me.

You can find more information about Feastivals Cooks at Home, as well as the tours I am currently offering on my web site: www.feastivals.com. My web site also features a cooking school page, with a recipe of the month, winery of the month and wine education. A trademark of my classes is "cookinı Jazz" to accompany every class, so each month I feature a current cd I like. I love to travel, and am enjoying booking cooking classes in cities far from home. I also love to "guest chef" in restaurants. Perhaps we will work together some day! À votre Santé!

Author - June C. Jacobs, CCP
Website - feastivals.com

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