Sally Clayton and her daughter Lee Clayton Roper were known among friends and family for their effortless style and smart sensibility when it came to cooking and entertaining. So when Sally began to suffer from the effects of osteoporosis and early-stage memory loss, Lee decided to engage her in the kitchen, both as therapy and to preserve her mother’s cherished recipes. Sally and Lee would test and taste recipes together and their time in the kitchen led Lee to begin writing A Well Seasoned Kitchen with Sally. Sadly, Sally passed away as the book entered its final phase and Lee completed it in her honor.A portion of all proceeds are donated to the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter.
“I dedicated this book to my late mother, whose grace, remarkable style, and strength serve as inspiration in my life,” says Roper. “My mother loved to cook and entertain and A Well-Seasoned Kitchen is my way of sharing her passion with other home cooks.”
Lee and Sally believe that food is the foundation for the family table, where a shared meal allows people to reconnect with family and friends. A Well-Seasoned Kitchen is more than just a cookbook, it is a treasury of ideas, menus, and beloved meals collected by a woman who showed her love for family and friends by cooking and entertaining.
“In developing this cookbook, Mom and I concentrated on the type of dishes we liked best–simple and delicious recipes for everyday and easy entertaining, most of which can be made partially or entirely ahead. Mom did not like to spend hours in the kitchen and neither do I.”
The delicious, easy, and beautiful dishes like Tomato Basil Bisque,Rack of Lamb with Nut Crust, Green Beans with Lemon-Butter Sauce, and Pavlova helped A Well-Seasoned Kitchen win the 2010 Gold Medal for Cookbooks from the Living Now Book Awards. The book features menu suggestions that are perfect for entertaining any time of the year.
Until now, this cookbook, featuring 186 tested recipes with menus and full-color photos by renowned food photographer Laurie Smith, has been available only in Colorado, where Lee resides, but due to the overwhelming success of the elegant recipes and heartwarming stories, A Well Seasoned Kitchen has gone national. The book that is so popular in Denver is now available through all major online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in stories in Kansas City, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Knoxville, Memphis, and Little Rock. More cities and retailers are being added this year.
Posted by Markus Micheaels
Edited by Melanie Figueroa
06/28/2012
