The Art In Queens Cuisine

The Pandemic has so many people inside their homes, cooking more than ever. Most are looking for quick, easy and delicious recipes. My unique book combines, art, anecdotes, an Introduction to art and cooking, recipes, and brief narratives by amateur cooks and bakers. Ten of my neighbors volunteered to participate, as a way to stay connected through COVID19. Each page portrays the cooks with their portraits in sepia-toned photographs. Stories describe their country of origin, the person who taught them how to make the dish and the best stores to find the ingredients. My neighbors come from Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Romania, and Russia, This book represents a rich portrait of a Queens global community. All recipes are accompanied by my original watercolors. "The Art in Queens Cuisine: A Global Vegetarian Cookbook", is not meant to convince anyone to become vegetarian, rather, it acquaints readers with how to use vegetables as a main ingredient, with descriptions of healthy vegetarian options. Readers will enjoy learning how to impart flavors that can be cooked with one another easily. The focus is seeing connections between cooking and art. One of the watercolors features an eggplant. It is a brilliant depiction of the regal eggplant that goes along with a Bulgarian eggplant recipe and narrative. Readers will appreciate connections between the cooks' stories, and the painters' visual interpretations of each recipe. My book acknowledges this most difficult time that we are living through. Art and cooking may not change violence or pandemics, in our world, but it can change hearts of those whose spirits are deeply saddened by tasting our delicious dishes, and become inspired by art.