If the Table Could Talk- A Taste of Celebrations

Join us for a culinary cookbook extravaganza. If your table could talk, what would it say? Alyssa Alia is one of the top professional food stylists in the U.S. and a working mother of two who is proud to present her first solo cookbook, IF THE TABLE COULD TALK - A Taste of Celebrations from the Menus and Memories of the Life of a Food Stylist. Captured by the menus she's created and saved from decades of home celebrations, you'll find within these pages a treasure trove of well-loved family recipes - delectable, fun, easy-to-prepare and filled with joy! Over 200 recipes, developed and prepared lovingly by Alyssa over many years, are presented here with time-saving tips, make ahead tricks, decorating ideas and hints for how to make every gathering you host, big or small, a success. She presents this cookbook as an autobiography of her culinary life. Alyssa entices you with gorgeous photographs for every recipe - to anticipate every bite. Her life has been centered around beautifully prepared and delicious food as a professional food stylist and certified culinary chef. Her specialty is entertaining and she wants to show people how to do that without fuss as she's done for the last 31 years through recipes that culminate into menus for a variety of occasions. "Each recipe is a living short story from Alyssa's life...that's what this book is all about, love! Love of food and the people to whom we express that love through cooking, sharing meals and creating new memories," Al Owens, photographer of the cookbook, said. Alyssa is a graduate of Cornell University, has a chef certification from the New York Restaurant School, and was an attendee of Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. Through her lifelong culinary and artful career, she shares a taste of celebrations that will encourage you to create new, cherished memories around your table. A Letter from Alyssa If your table could talk, what would it tell you? In my life the most heartfelt loving memories were made when gathered around my family's table. Whether it be an everyday dinner with your children or a celebratory occasion, every moment that you gather and share food at the table brings people together. I wanted to recreate these memories by sharing recipes that were served around my table with love, throughout my life. I have said, so often, that eating and enjoying meals around the table reinforces the most precious memories of family and friends. The menus in this book are a lifelong autobiography, recorded memoir of milestone events and impromptu occasions at my table. I still have that menu 30 years later. I must have 100s of them. My menus are a treasured journal through time. I have been a professional food stylist for over 30 years, so I have included delicious photographs throughout the book that I prepared and food styled for your enjoyment. These cherished recipes are easy and fun, and most are even make-ahead. Since my professional life is styling food in the most beautiful way it can be for the camera, I have also included easy garnish and serving suggestions to make your parties showstoppers with minimal fuss and ease. Keep your table talking! En-JOY and cook just for the love it, Alyssa xo

Review :
"Alyssa is a dear friend and colleague. She is also a wife, a mother, sister, aunt, and good friend to a small group of her immediate and extended family-which is a group of hundreds, maybe even thousands of people. Everyone loves Alyssa! Alyssa is a world-class food stylist. I met her many years ago on a photo shoot, and we have not stopped working together since. Alyssa's capacity for love is amazing. Her book is the result of a lifetime of memories that all evolved around food as an expression of that love. Each recipe Alyssa prepared for the photography in this book prompted a new story that she shared as we set up for each photo. A vivid and beautiful history of each recipe was passed on to us as Alyssa worked. Her words were unscripted and spontaneous, and quite beautiful to hear. We heard so many stories - cooking with her mother when she was a child, baking with her neighbor as a little girl, her dad's favorites, and her husband Tommy's favorites, as well as newer cooking memories created with her daughters. We produced the photography for this book at Alyssa's home rather than at a studio. At first it just made logistical sense, but I quickly realized we were in the perfect setting to create the photos because Alyssa's home is where so much of the book's content was born. Alyssa's husband Tommy and their daughters, Maria and Marisa, were often on set as we worked, making the images feel right and authentic. They are all very special people. Alyssa understands that preparing and sharing food allows us to spend meaningful time with people who matter to us. So, prepare these recipes the way they were created and preserved by Alyssa...with love!" Let's eat! Al Owens / Photographer "When one visits Alyssa as her guest, by merely entering her home, you feel like you are in a hallowed temple dedicated to love and hospitality, all built around ingenious foods and her will to teach the countless joys of food. Her book projects this passion she has to spread her knowledge and her love, inducing all in her aegis to the good life based on her extraordinary feelings of hospitality. I have been privileged to be a part of Alyssa's family for many, many years, starting with a wonderful friendship with her father, Anthony, with whom I attended high school. Through his lifetime, I observed him raising his charming family with discipline, strong morals and most notably, compassion and love for people. I believe it was this strong upbringing that has fostered Alyssa's tenacious personality and commitment to the highest standards for every aspect of her life, including her drive to entertain and to teach people the highest standards of food preparation and hospitality.Alyssa doesn't just prepare a meal, she creates an unforgettable experience, and you can taste the love and enthusiasm in every last morsel. My fondest memories have been of sitting around the Sunday dinner table with Alyssa, Tom and their lovely daughters sharing stories, laughter and a fabulous meal. Alyssa is a totally genuine person and her generosity nourishes the soul as well as the body. Now you, too, can experience her creativity, ingenuity and culinary brilliance while forging your own cherished memories around your table with family and friends by following her lessons she so lovingly brings to the arena to enrich lives. Alyssa is a most rare human soul who exudes unquenchable enthusiasm, charm and entertainment skills for all to enjoy." Arthur E. Imperatore, Sr.