A City Tavern Giveaway

A few months ago...well let me go back even further. A couple of years ago I stumbled across a show one Saturday afternoon on PBS. Don't you love those weekend afternoon Public Television shows? Growing up I spent many Saturdays trying to re-create Bob Ross paintings with my dad and watching Cajun chef, Justin Wilson ("how ya'll are?"). Do you remember him?

Well back to the story at hand. I stumbled across this amazing cooking show one Saturday afternoon called "A Taste of History". I called Canaan into the room (he's my cooking show buddy) and we watched as this enthusiastic German chef cooked course after course over big hearth fire at Monticello. If you've never seen it, it really is amazing. Chef Staib steps back in time and gets to know the founders of our country through the food they ate and the recipes they prepared. Its like a great tasting History lesson!

Since that time, Canaan and I have tried to make it a point of watching A Taste of History whenever we get the chance.

A few months ago (I am finally to that point of the story...) I had the crazy privilege of interviewing Chef Staib on the phone for an article I wrote about planting a Thanksgiving Garden. You can read that here, if you are so inclined.

First of all, I was completely blown away that this award winning chef that has conceptualized over 350 restaurants and stars in an Emmy award winning show (several times over, to boot) even had (or took!) the time to talk to this freelance writing, mama of 3 from Lexington, Kentucky. He shared with such speed and enthusiasm and German flair that my head was spinning and I wanted to jump on the next plane to Philadelphia just to absorb even an ounce of that passion he has for food and history.

After the interview, his fantastic assistant Molly (who had set up that phone interview) sent me a copy of one of his cookbooks, City Tavern. How sweet, right?!
The cookbook, aptly named after Chef Staib's famous restaurant in Philadelphia, City Tavern, is heavy and thick and full of amazing photos, stories and recipes. Everything a cookbook should be. Canaan, our avid cookbook reader, has declared City Tavern as one of his favorites.

So why do I tell you all of this? Well....I am giddy with excitement for a number of reasons.

Number one; Chef Staib is going to be competing on Iron Chef this Sunday, October 2nd! He will be battling Bobby Flay, who happens to be Canaan's favorite celebrity chef. I think my sweet 8 year old will be sitting on pins and needles the entire episode!

Number two; A Taste of History won three Emmy Awards this year! I'm not even on the Staib team and I'm pretty excited about that one.

Number three; Chef Staib has generously provided a copy of City Tavern; Recipes from the Birthplace of America to be given away this week on the blog! So from now until Sunday night, October 2nd at 9pm EST (just an hour before Iron Chef airs), please leave a comment in today's post (one entry per person, please). A winner will be chosen at random and announced here Monday morning.