On July 1, I’m due to hand over a massive manuscript for “The Findlay Market Cookbook” to Michael Turback, my editor at Farm Fresh Books. It’s the culmination of 7 months of work, 70 interviews with Market vendors, producers and farmers, and about 130 recipes.
It’s been a labor of love—with heavy emphasis on both the labor and the love. Several times, I’ve hit a point where I thought this project would never be done. The past week, as I’ve been scrambling to collect recipes from Cincinnati chefs who’ve promised them (you know who you are) and to finish the very last interview, I’ve sort of hit the wall. While I’ve never run a marathon, this has definitely been a Marathon Project, and I’m in mile 25.
For most of the project, I’ve been working in isolation. (Karen Kahle, who’s writing a few of the profiles, has been off on her own, too.) Just recently, photographer Julie Kramer (who’s also my publisher for Edible Ohio Valley magazine) shared some of the terrific shots she’s getting of the Findlay vendor community. These wonderful photos have renewed my enthusiasm for the project, just when I needed that spark.
Here’s a sneak preview of some of the photos. Stay tuned this summer, when I’ll be selectively sharing some of the fantastic recipes I’ve collected for the book. And when “The Findlay Market Cookbook” is published in October, I’ll let you know when and where the launch party will happen!
