Hello, Everyone!
I hope your summer is off to a great start and that if you’re Stateside, you had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday with family and friends and enjoyed great food. I remember summer picnics when I was growing up were so much fun. Mom loved to cook and she’d pack a basket with fried chicken and potato salad and cookies. We’d spread out a blanket and unpack the snacks. Dad would roast hot dogs and hamburgers on a portable barbeque. We’d play volleyball or badminton or climb trees and chase each other. Life seemed so simple.
But the most important part was the food!
When I was writing Wherever Love Finds You, I was surprised at how much food played into the story. Ellora and Zach are young professionals living in New York City. Food is everything in New York. Zach’s and Ellora’s first meal together is an unplanned lunch at Zach’s favorite Italian restaurant in the financial district. Silvestro runs the restaurant and serves the best manicotti and rigatoni in the city. Just ask Ellora. Dining out is a new experience for Ellora. She’s been so focused on her job that she hasn’t taken time to explore New York’s cuisine. If it weren’t for the corner deli and the coffee street vendor, she probably wouldn’t eat. Zach knows all about New York dining, and he knows about other things too. He’s determined to teach Ellora everything he knows and what better place to start than taking her sailing? The trip comes complete with a packed picnic lunch.
But the best is yet to come—a Chinese dinner delivered to Zach’s apartment. While Ellora stands on Zach’s terrace and admires the view, Zach fills her wineglass and serves up a meal on white plates.
If you’re like me, you like to read about the meals characters share and the restaurants they visit. And who doesn’t get a craving for that dark chocolate the heroine pops into her mouth to ease the lonely nights and wonder if she made a mistake when she walked away from her chance for love?
Yes, food is important in fiction and it’s so much fun to read about and pretend that you’re in the middle of those elegant dinner parties, the lazy beach picnics or the mad dash to grab a coffee on the way to that life-changing meeting.
Enjoy your summer and have a wonderful week. And whether you’re the chef or a guest, hopefully, good food is involved in the week ahead!
Love,
Laura
