Join us for a culinary cookbook Holiday 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 second solo cookbook, "IF THE TABLE COULD TALK - A Taste of the Holidays " from her Menus and Memories of the Life of a Food Stylist. It is the sequel to her first solo cookbook "If the Table Could Talk - A Taste of Celebrations." Captured by the menus she's created and saved from decades of entertaining the Holidays in her home, you'll find within these pages a treasure trove of well-loved holiday 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 Holiday 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 over the last 30 years through recipes that culminate into menus for a variety of holidays.
"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.
"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." Arthur E. Imperatore, Sr, a close family friend, 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.
Alyssa invites you to take a seat at her table and enjoy this sampling of recipes from her holiday menus, that hold a special
place in her heart. They are easy and fun, and most are even make-ahead. Many were
inspired through family and holiday traditions, and others from friends, professional and
personal. She also included shopping and entertaining tips with time saving ideas and
helpful tricks. Since her professional life is styling food in the most beautiful way it can
be for the camera, She also included easy garnish and serving suggestions to make
your parties showstoppers with minimal fuss and ease.
"I believe the holidays are the best ways to bring loved ones around your table, and my goal is to give you recipes that will become your holiday favorites that will last for a lifetime and for generations to come. I invite you to take a seat at my table to enjoy this sampling of my recipes from menus, that hold a special place in my heart."
Keep your table talking!
En- JOY and cook just for the love of it!
Alyssa XO
About the Author :
Alyssa was born in Jersey City, NJ and raised with her family in Closter, NJ. Her love of cooking started at a very young age loving spending time in the kitchen with her mother and her Nana. Growing up in an Italian household exposed me to cooking traditions, family Sunday dinners and healthy food preparation on a daily basis. At 16 years old, my Mom saw a help wanted sign in the window of a small gourmet store front called Cooktique in Tenafly, New Jersey, near where we lived in Closter. I applied and was hired as the owner's runner and assistant for two sum- mers and on weekends during the school year. The owner, Silvia Lehrer, gave me my first opportunity to work in a professional culinary atmosphere andI was hooked the minute I walked into her store. She also had a small cooking school in the back of the store where she taught classic cooking classes.I was the shopper, prepper and food gopher while demonstrating the newest craze, the Cuisinart Food Processor! Here is where I learned one of my most valuable cooking lessons, especially to make stock, stock and more stock. She would also have guest chefs for a few weeks each summer to teach spe- cialty classes and promote their first cookbooks. I was able to assist the renown French chef Jacques Pépin and the famous Italian chef noted for his extraordinary pasta making, Giuliano Bugialli. What a thrill and I didn't even know what celebrities they would become! I was just enamored by them - I was in cooking heaven. This was my passion and that is when I knew I wanted to pursue a career in food. I also worked as a Friendly's waitress the last three years of high school. Here is where I learned my people skills as well as service skills.During that time in high school my dad encouraged me to write to the food editors of national magazines to ask them how to pursue a career in the culinary arts. This was life-changing advice as many of them wrote back with college choices and even class suggestions. I was accepted to Cornell University and obtained a bachelors degree in nutritional sciences but I still was longing for more culinary training. For two college summers, my Dad also thought I should apply as an intern at the Lipton Company, now known as Unilever, where I was asked to work in the food science department. They introduced me to the Lipton Test Kitchens down the hall. This department developed and tested recipes for their food products and, again, I realized I needed to be in a kitchen environment. After graduating from Cornell, I was hired as a Test Kitchen Home Economist at Lipton and worked there for three years. I learned so much about the corporate food industry but I still longed for more advanced culinary training. I decided to leave Lipton and enrolled into a full time culinary chef program at the New York Restaurant School in New York City. I fell into my heaven and loved the training every day in my chef whites. I graduated with a chef certification with honors. Soon after, the school sponsored students for some extra training at Le Cordon Bleu, France, my dream school! After returning from Europe, I applied to many food magazines in New York City. One of the food editors, Jean Voltz, remembered my high school letter and hired me several times as a freelancer. I continued to freelance, over three years, for numerous publications. It was here where I performed more recipe development but then I would also be asked to go into the photography studio to food style the recipes for the camera. Everything started to click together for me. My food science training at Cornell, my culinary passion, love of food art, and then my professional culinary training - it was the perfect blend to become a professional food stylist. I continue to freelance as a food stylist presently.I have food styled over the years for many major food companies as well as magazines, for print, packaging, film, advertising, social media and video applications.
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.
