Offsite: Carla Lalli presents Food is a Feeling

Join us to celebrate this new intimate, story-driven cookbook that explores the idea of cooking and eating as an act of self-care
About this Event

Event guidelines:

• Additional copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. All the books will be pre-signed by the author!
• Home address is collected for contact tracing purposes; it will not be used otherwise.
• The event will also be livestreamed for free on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/FkqSQ3dSQXM
• As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event, even if you have a ticket; email us and we'll work it out.

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request accessibility accommodations, please contact [email protected].

An intimate, story-driven cookbook that explores the idea of cooking and eating as an act of self-care, with 65 time-tested and nourishing recipes from the James Beard Award–winning author of Where Cooking Begins and New York Times bestseller, That Sounds So Good.

Carla has been writing about food, family, and feelings for many years, and she’s always known that her recipes were about more than sustenance. The 65 recipes and 30 essays in Food Is a Feeling are a powerful reminder of the nurturing, fulfilling, and joyful role that food plays in all of our lives, a very human account of beauty and challenges balancing each other like butter and salt.

For her, cooking is an expression of love. That core belief was put to the test the year she got divorced. As Carla started figuring out who she was going to be on the other side of a 24-year marriage, she took note of the cravings she was having and the meals she wanted to make, and honored those desires by making herself something to eat: Lemony Chickpea Stew with Rice; Personal Pot of Beans and Greens; Salad Sandwich, to name a few. She was flooded with delicious memories—her mom’s Saturday Night Alfredo, the Extremely Floofy Vanilla Pancakes she makes for her children, and the Crispy-Skinned Fish with Olives and Lemons and Burnt Caramel Rhubarb Compote she learned on the line in some of New York City’s most demanding restaurant kitchens. Over time, she realizes the creative, transformative work that happens in the kitchen is a potent antidote for the hurdles she has yet to overcome.

The food, the passage of time, and the lessons gained—all of it became perfectly intertwined. In writing that is revealing, relatable, and funny, Carla uses rich context from her own life to make the case that food is so much more than just fuel, and yes, we should eat our feelings. After all, they’re delicious.

Carla Lalli is the New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds So Good and received a James Beard Award for her first cookbook, Where Cooking Begins. She is a producer, writer, cookbook author, podcast host, and video host. Before making the move to food media, Carla spent 10 years in restaurants, first as a line cook and kitchen manager, and later as a general manager. She was the food director at Bon Appétit, where she hosted the YouTube series, Back to Back Chef, and appeared in dozens of BA Test Kitchen videos. At home in Brooklyn, Carla reigns supreme over two humans, a cat, a dog, and three houseplants that aren’t looking too hot, if we’re being honest. She shares a birthday with Julia Child and Napoleon, and her natural sleep cycle is from 2am to 10am.