Culinary History of Cookery

Followers of food and food writing have the chance to meet one of our most exciting culinary minds at a Book Council event in Wellington tomorrow. Cookery aficionado, Alexa Johnston, will speak with cookbook collector Laura Kroetsch about the rich and tantalising world of New Zealand cookery at the Book Council’s Culinary History of Cookery event at Caffe L’affare from 6pm on Thursday June 24.


Alexa Johnston is the author of two hugely successful cookbooks, Ladies, A Plate (Penguin, 2008) and A Second Helping (Penguin, 2009). New Zealand has a long track record of culinary innovation and success, and more quality cookery publications are released every year, as New Zealand readers stand behind their country’s culinary legacy, and just as significantly, its future.

Before taking up her current role as a freelance curator and writer, Alexa Johnston was curator at Auckland Art Gallery for 19 years. When asked about what she enjoyed most about working on her cookbooks she said, ‘I loved spending days in the kitchen trying out recipes, and not feeling as though I should be doing ‘real’ work; having lots of baking to give away to friends and family; building up my collection of community cookbooks and spending hours searching through them; setting up the photographs, and choosing plates and cloths from my cupboards for each image. There’s nothing I didn’t enjoy about it really!’
Laura Kroetsch is a long-time book reviewer and the festival programme manager for the New Zealand International Arts Festival Writers and Readers Week. Laura will chair the session, and with Alexa Johnston examine and chart cookery in New Zealand up to the present day.

Event Details:
Culinary History of Cookery, 24th June 2010, 6.00 – 7.30pm at Caffe L’affare, 27 College St, Te Aro, Wellington. Ticket: $16.00, ($14.00 NZ Book Council members). Tickets available from the Information desk, Central Library and on the door. For more information visit the Book Council website www.bookcouncil.org.nz