By Leslie Brenner

Do you love wine, and wish you knew just a bit more about it — for instance, what’s up with orange wines and natural wines, how to appreciate them, what to serve with them and how to find worthwhile bottlings? Are you a comfortable and confident cook who would love some new recipes that are great for laid-back, easy entertaining — from one of the country’s most interesting and accomplished cookbook authors?

If so, you’ll want to join us — next week, on the first day of autumn — for the next Cooks Without Borders Makers, Shakers & Mavens event: Wine Style Book Party with Kate Leahy.

An outstanding cook with a great palate, as well as a wonderful writer, Leahy has been the co-author of a number of cookbooks we love, including A-16 Food + Wine (which won the IACP Cookbook of the Year award and the Julia Child First Book award following its publication in 2008); Burma Superstar (2017); Lavash (2019) and La Buvette (which we reviewed last year when it was published).

Wine Style is her first solo cookbook, which is cause for big-time celebration. We reviewed it shortly after it was published in late July.

[Read the review: “Kate Leahy’s ‘Wine Style’ is a delicious solo debut from a seasoned (and fascinating) cookbook pro”]

Because the event is a book party, there will of course be food and drink! We invite you to whip up a batch of this super-quick and easy recipe for roasted edamame, adapted from Leahy’s book.

Make the edamame just before the event, have on hand a bottle of orange wine, and you’ll be set to party in style with us. Leahy will talk us through the pairing, as well tell us about orange wines, other natural wines, how to think about wines and wine pairings from a cook’s point of view. She’ll also walk us through plenty of recipes for laid-back, wine-centric entertaining — exactly the kind of socially-distanced, often outdoors gatherings we’ll all be drawn to this autumn.

We’ll toast the new book, and a lucky wine-loving cook (who must be registered and online for the live event) will win a copy of Wine Style. (It could be you!!!)

What kind of orange wine should you grab for the party? Any orange wine will do. You can find them in shops specializing in natural wine, other outstanding wine shops, and even in some supermarkets. They are often not identified as orange wines on their labels, though (Leahy will explain why), so unless you know what you’re looking for, you’ll need to ask for help from a knowledgeable merchant. (Meanwhile, here’s a 2020 story about orange wines from The New York Times’ Eric Asimov.) Don’t have time to find one? Grab your favorite crisp white, or even a bottle of sake.

Register for the event through the link below. We look forward to seeing you there!

Cooks Without Borders Makers, Shakers & Mavens: ‘Wine Style’ Book Party with Kate Leahy

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 22
Time: 5 to 6 p.m. Pacific Time; 6 to 7 p.m. Mountain Time; 7 to 8 p.m. Central Time, 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time
Format: Live Zoom talk, hosted by Leslie Brenner and Juliet Jacobson, with audience Q&A
Registration: You must register in advance through this link. Limited to 100 participants.

Want to watch past Makers, Shakers & Mavens events? Find them on Cooks Without Borders’ YouTube channel.