Pantry: On Cheesy Rice and Other Comforts

New York Times bestselling novelist and essayist Amy Bloom weaves together stories and recipes in a celebration of the pleasures of the kitchen, where perfection is beside the point, generosity is everything, and great meals can come at the best and worst times.

pantry
n. a small room or closet in which food, dishes, and utensils are kept
v. to grab someone with whom you very much wish to converse and drag them into a pantry

Amy Bloom writes about food the way she writes about all things: with wit, warmth, insight and tenderness for life's complications, troubles, and simple joys.

Lasagna cooked at dawn to woo a lover with an Italian mother. A pot of cheesy rice to comfort people worn out by winter or by life. A crispy latke pile to herald the humble feast of Chanukah. Sumptuous sticky buns baked by the Yeast God of South Dakota himself.

In Pantry, part memoir, part kitchen companion, part love letter, Bloom celebrates foods that bring meaning and joy to life, from the humble to the decadent, and pays homage to the magic that comes from a simple meal, made with care and shared with others. In seventeen pieces of short nonfiction with accompanying recipes and beautiful illustrations, we are introduced to the meals that resonate throughout her life, from a childhood love of the simple magic made in the kitchen to dishes cooked for boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, children--all possible versions of family. You are invited into the kitchen of this gifted storyteller sharing the indelible ways in which food punctuates and illuminates her life. For Bloom, feeding the people she loves is happiness, and there's always a seat at her table.