Lisa Donovan in conversation with Angie Mosier - Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger In-Store Event

Lisa Donovan in conversation with Angie Mosier - Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger In-Store Event

Wednesday, Sep 29, 2021 7:00 PM

Location:
A Cappella Books
208 Haralson Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30307

A Cappella Books welcomes renowned southern pastry chef Lisa Donovan in honor of the paperback release of “Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger,” her striking story of cooking, survival, and the incredible power in reclaiming the stories of women.

Donovan will appear in conversation with celebrated food stylist and photographer Angie Mosier. This event is free and open to the public, and we’ll have refreshments on our back patio.

If you are unable to attend the event, you may pre-order a signed copy of the book. 

 

About the Book

Noted chef and James Beard Award-winning essayist Lisa Donovan helped establish some of the South's most important kitchens, and her pastry work is at the forefront of a resurgence in traditional desserts. Yet Donovan struggled to make a living in an industry where male chefs built successful careers on the stories, recipes, and culinary heritage passed down from generations of female cooks and cooks of color. At one of her career peaks, she made the perfect dessert at a celebration for food-world goddess Diana Kennedy. When Kennedy asked why she had not heard of her, Donovan said she did not know. "I do," Kennedy said, "Stop letting men tell your story." 

“Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger” is Donovan's searing, beautiful, and searching chronicle of reclaiming her own story and the narrative of the women who came before her. Her family's matriarchs found strength and passion through food, and they inspired Donovan's accomplished career. Donovan's love language is hospitality, and she wants to welcome everyone to the table of good food and fairness. 

Donovan herself had been told at every juncture that she wasn't enough: she came from a struggling southern family that felt ashamed of its own mixed-race heritage and whose elders diminished their women. She survived abuse and assault as a young mother. But Donovan's salvations were food, self-reliance, and the network of women in food who stood by her. 

In the school of the late John Egerton, “Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger” is an unforgettable Southern journey of class, gender, and race as told at table.

About the Author

Lisa Donovan has redefined what it means to be a “southern baker” as the pastry chef to some of the South’s most influential chefs, including Margot McCormack, Tandy Wilson, and Sean Brock. Unabashedly serving her church cakes and pies to finish fine-dining experiences, she has been formative in establishing a technique-driven and historically rich narrative of southern pastry. Donovan received a James Beard Award for her writing in Food & Wine, where she is a regular contributor, and she has been a featured speaker at René Redzepi’s globally renowned MAD Symposium. “Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger” is her first book.