Georgia’s Kitchen by Jenny Nelson
Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson on Amazon.com
If you’re in the mood for an escape to Italy but your bank account doesn’t quite agree, have a look at Georgia’s Kitchen, a charming book that will transport you to a trattoria nestled in Tuscany’s rolling hills. You’ll also spend a good deal of time in bustling New York City, where Georgia lives full-time as a chef until her career takes a hit from a bad review and her romantic relationship crumbles. Off to Italy it is, then, for Georgia, where her passions become clear to her — and to a local named Gianni.
Georgia’s Kitchen is a fun, delicious read that just may inspire you to dig deeper and follow dreams simmering below the surface. Nelson’s writing is descriptive but tight — and foodies will love reading about Georgia’s exquisite creations, particularly as she strives to create the Tuscan trattoria’s signature dish. This book would be great to take on vacation or even just to cuddle up with for a little while each evening, savoring each chapter. Four espresso cups out of five!
And now, my interview with Jenny Nelson:
1. I know Bleeding Espresso readers are dying to know more about your Italian connection, so can you please share a little more about this?
Beyond being a complete and total Italia-phile – I love Italian food, wine, art, architecture, fashion, language, films and, of course, people – my mother-in-law’s entire extended family lives in Milan. My husband grew up making frequent trips to Italy and speaks Italian fairly well. We’ve traveled extensively throughout the country, particularly in the Tuscan region, where we were married. In Georgia’s Kitchen, there’s brief reference to the wedding of an American couple at the former villa of Dante Alighieri – that’s our wedding!
2. Georgia’s Kitchen is grounded in the inner workings of the restaurant industry, particularly in New York City. Do you have experience in it? If not, how did you go about researching this aspect of the book?
I’ve never worked in a professional kitchen but, fortunately, I have many friends who have. Even more fortunately, they were all too happy to share stories with me and to provide crucial details when interviewed. So when I needed to know “the Rolls Royce of espresso makers” I knew just who to ask.
3. Tuscany also plays a major role in your book, and I know from a previous interview you’ve spent a lot of time there. What are your favorite places to visit in Tuscany and favorite meals to have while you’re there?
I adore Florence and could spend hours walking just walking around that amazing city. I love the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens, the Church of San Marco, Farmacia Santa Maria Novella (the ancient pharmacy), and Cibreo. In the countryside, I really like Lucca (a great way to see the city is on a bicycle) and Greve, but to be perfectly honest, I’ve yet to meet a Tuscan town I don’t love. As for food, my favorite Tuscan dishes are the simplest: pappa al pomodoro, panzanella, ribolitta, Tuscan beans.
Visit Jenny Nelson's website
4. I’m always curious to read about how other writers create their work; can you tell us about your writing process?
I generally don’t get going until the afternoon. In the mornings, I’m with my daughters and after I drop them at school I tend to have errands and other things that keep me busy (read: checking email). I write in an office on the third floor of my house and if I’m having a tough time I’ll break to walk my dog, or make a cup of tea – I drinks buckets of tea. If I’m really into a scene I’ll come back to it after my daughters go to sleep, but otherwise I sign off in the late afternoon or early evening only to return the next day. I also keep a notebook handy so that I can jot down phrases or ideas as they strike. If I’m working on a particularly sticky plot point, I go for a run. It seems that almost all of my “aha moments” (when I’ve successfully worked through a tricky issue) come while running.
5. Who or what inspires you as a novelist?
My daughters, stories in the newspaper, films, theater, other writers – the list is endless!
6. In the interview published at the end of Georgia’s Kitchen, you mention working on a new book about a woman whose husband is imprisoned for white-collar crime and who moves to the country — and ends up raising goats. As someone who raises goats (and writes about them at Goat Berries!), I just have to ask for a little more scoop on this book. How is it coming along? And do you have any interesting goat research stories to share?
This book, as they say, has been turned out to pasture. I love goats and I love goat cheese even more, but I’ve put this project aside for the time being. I’m working on something else now, but I’d rather wait until I’m a bit further along to talk about it. I will say that it explores some of the same themes as Georgia’s Kitchen: love, food, self-discovery, to name just a few.
Thanks so much Jenny!
I’m really looking forward to reading your next novel — even without a goat!
Jenny Nelson is a former web executive and consultant and past editor and producer at iVillage, Vogue.com and Style.com. She lives with her husband, twin daughters and dog in Millbrook, NY and Manhattan. You can find Jenny on her author website JennyNelsonAuthor.com, on Twitter @jennygnelson, and on Facebook with Georgia’s Kitchen.
*
Subscribe to my Book Reviews feed — book reviews ONLY, which aren’t published to the main feed — by visiting Feedburner.
Recipes
