Chef Mario Batali Talks BIG AMERICAN Cooking at Writers on a New England Stage

On Sunday, November 20, The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio will welcome famous American chef Mario Batali with his just-released cookbook, Mario Batali BIG AMERICAN COOKBOOK: 250 Favorite Recipes from Across the USA - a delicious dive into American regional cooking with 250 recipes, from San Diego Fish Tacos to Boston Cream Pie.

The 1pm event includes a brief author presentation followed by an onstage interview with Virginia Prescott, host of NH Public Radio's "Word of Mouth." It will be held at The Music Hall's Historic Theater at 28 Chestnut Street, in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Tickets include a hardcover copy of his new cookbook.

"Mario Batali is a force of nature, tastemaker, restaurateur and chef, and I've wanted to do something with him for a very long time. I am thrilled he will be here with his latest cookbook, a celebration of the vibrant regions of the country. Expect a great afternoon of conversation about food and shared experiences of eating - experiences which, at heart, are all about family and friends. As an avid home-cook I can't wait." Patricia Lynch, Executive Director of The Music Hall and Executive Producer of Writers on a New England Stage.

ABOUT THE BOOK

For over two years Mario Batali searched all corners of the US for truly delicious recipes and interpreted them with the same excitement and passion that he has famously brought to traditional and regional Spanish and Italian cooking. This definitive cookbook features the best America has to offer, celebrating the treasures of the state fairs, local rotary clubs, and immigrant ethnic groups - with his own twists.

"Recipes are very much a part of our cultural heritage, as significant, in my opinion, as photographs or letters (or emails, kids, or even Snapchats). They are true points in history around which we file the rest of our personal and collective memory," writes Batali in his introduction. "I can look at my grandma's hand-written biscotti recipe on a little 4-by-6 card and can very clearly hear her voice, smell her kitchen, taste her antipasto, and remember things a photograph in an album will not bring me to."

Covering all of the country's regions - the Northeast/New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Gulf Coast, and the Great Lakes, the Heartland, the Southwest, and the Pacific Coast - BIG AMERICAN COOKBOOK shares everything from the specific BBQ styles of Texas, the Smokeys, and the Carolinas to the variations of seafood chowders along the Northeastern seaboard; from the spicy gumbos of the Gulf Coast to the berry pies of the Pacific Northwest.

Plus, while Mario uses recipes passed down through generations, he also shares his hints on what he would add to super-delicious recipes like Philly Cheesesteaks and Marionberry Cobbler to take the flavor up a notch. BIG AMERICAN COOKBOOK is the American cookbook you will want to own!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mario Batali counts twenty-five restaurants, ten cookbooks, numerous television shows, and three EatAly Marketplaces among his never-expanding empire of deliciousness. His cookbooks include the James Beard Award-winning Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home and America - Farm to Table. Appearing daily on ABC's The Chew, a daytime talk show that celebrates and explores life through food, Mario and his co-hosts won their first Emmy for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Hosts in 2015. For more information about Mario, visit his website at www.mariobatali.com.

TICKETS

Tickets for Writers on a New England Stage: Mario Batali on Sunday, November 20 at 1:00pm are $54 ($52 for members) and include a copy of his book, BIG AMERICAN COOKBOOK: 250 Recipes from Across the USA ($40, hardcover). Tickets can be purchased through The Music Hall Box Office, located at 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, or over the phone at 603.436.2400.

About Writers on a New England Stage

Each literary evening features an author presentation followed by an onstage interview with Virginia Prescott, host of New Hampshire Public Radio's "Word of Mouth." Live music is performed by the award-winning house band Dreadnaught. Shows are rebroadcast on NH Public Radio.

Writers on a New England Stage is Partnership Between The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio

Presenting Sponsors: The University of New Hampshire

Series Sponsor: Piscataqua Landscaping & Tree Service

Media Sponsor: Yankee Magazine

Evening Sponsors: Wentworth-Douglass Hospital; Leddy Group; Leone, McDonnell & Roberts, P.A.; Salt Cellar

About The Music Hall

The Music Hall is a performing arts center featuring curated entertainment from around the world in two theaters in its downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire campus - one, a landmark 1878 Victorian theater, designated an American Treasure for the Arts by the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures Program, the other the intimate Music Hall Loft around the corner, recently named "best performing arts venue" by Yankee Magazine and the recipient of the NH AIA award for design excellence.

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