I was so excited to attend the International Home + Housewares Show this year in Chicago. I had the wonderful opportunity to see one of my favorite people, Renée Behnke. Renée is the President Emeritus of Sur La Table and therefor my former “boss”. Renée and her husband Carl purchased the first Sur La Table in Seattle’s Pike Market and now the company has over 70+ stores across the U.S.

I remember the first time I got to meet Renée when I was working in one of her culinary programs at the Sur La Table in Arlington, VA. It was May of 2004 and what I remember was being so nervous to meet her and the then new CEO, Kathy Tierney. The visit when very well and she was impressed with what we had done at her Arlington location.

Today, it has been almost 4 years since I had seen Renée. I left Sur La Table in 2005. I was sitting in the audience listening to acclaimed Indian cuisine authority Suvir Saran and he made mention of Renée and pointed towards the audience. I glanced over, saw her and I was so excited. After Suvir’s presentation, Renée was talking to another audience member and was trying to get thru a stantion and in an attempt to release the belt, it had malfunctioned. She was trying to get it back on as she was talking to a fan. I walked up and took the stantion belt from her and she looked up and realized it was me! I saw her remember who I was and I was happy. From there we talked and caught up and she told me she was announcing her new cookbook at the show. Renée was scheduled to do a cooking demo from one of her recipes the next morning. It was such a joy to spend some time with Renée.

The next morning, I was there at 9:15 waiting for Renée to come on stage. She demoed a recipe of  a Red Lentil Curry Soup which is from her upcoming cookbook, Memorable Recipes. Her new cookbook touches on many of the foods she has encountered in her travels around the world and she wanted to show how they translate back to the American table.

Memorable Recipes has wonderful photography and the recipes are structured well. In addition to the recipes, Renée talks about menu plans, do-ahead tips, decor ideas, and shortcuts we can all appreciate. Her book is ideal for anyone who enjoys cooking for themselves and for family and friends. Memorable Recipes features appetizers, soups and salads, sides, main dishes, and desserts. Renée takes the extra step of making wine paring recommendations – not specific wineries, but types of wine.

The book will be released in Late May/Early June from Andrew McMeel Publishing. Renée will be doing a book tour across the US. You are sure to find her doing a cooking demo at many Sur La Table stores. The book will be available thru all major book retailers. You can pre-purchase a copy of her book and have it shipped to you as soon as the book is released!

Renée, congratulations on your book. I look forward to trying all the recipes in your book.

Note: You can pre-purchase her book from my new FoodieInDisguise Store, powered by Amazon.com. Click here to pre-purchase her book with a discount off the $35.00 publisher’s price.

On another side note, Andrew McMeel Publishing is the host to many wonderful cookbooks. In addition to Renée’s upcoming book, they are also the publishers of Sur La Table’s three cookbooks as well as publisher to such titles as The Secrets of the Red Lantern and Pamela Sheldon Johns’ 50 Great Appetizers – a cookbook I have mentioned on this site before. Check out Andrew McMeel Publishing’s full list of cookbooks at http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/cookbooks.html