About the Book
An uplifting, funny, and flavorful story through despair, survival, and mental emancipation during the chaos of 2020.
In from hell to challah, Shari Wallack's journey begins inside a mental hospital and continues on a road trip to eighteen destinations throughout the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. She details her innermost thoughts, hopes, and fears while illustrating how she went from crippling depression to joy over a three-month period.
Along with a multitude of colorful characters, Shari navigates an exciting and unusual voyage of self-discovery and healing. Among the useful lessons she learns along the way, she discovers that cooking and baking calm her. She provides the recipes that helped her through her struggles, with the hope that others will find the same much-needed comfort. Shari's heartwarming and humorous story shows that happiness and purpose can be found even in the most difficult of times.
About the Author :
Shari Wallack started her professional career working for Club Med in New York City, and relocated to Fort Lauderdale, FL, in 1993 to work as an incentive sales executive for multiple cruise lines. The sale of Celebrity Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean International in 1997 led Shari to become an “accidental entrepreneur.” She later founded Buy the Sea, which has become the largest and most decorated cruise and all-inclusive brokerage company in the industry.
Her extensive network in the United States enabled her to take the journey that led to this inspirational book. Shari challenges everyone to do the right thing, put people before profits, never take away anyone’s dignity, and find the humor in almost any situation.
Shari is most proud of her children Rachel and Jake. She shares her time between her home in Plantation, FL, her “retreat” in New York City, her tiny mobile home that resides in Salt Lake City, UT and any cruise ship anywhere in the world.
Review :
“All it took to send Shari Wallack to a mental institution was an alarming cascade of life crises and one very minor worldwide catastrophe. Once sprung, she found herself on a spontaneous cross-country road trip to find peace of mind through food and friendship. Both hilariously raw and unflinchingly honest, her book from hell to challah shows how with hope, challah, and help from a handful of red cardinals, she rediscovered her reasons for waking up in the morning. It’s a joyful journey worth taking!”
- Jon Cryer, Comedian and Two and a Half Men Emmy-winning actor
“Shari Wallack is a wonderful and charming writer with an eye for the details that make life worth living. During this lost year comes a stirring, heartfelt, and funny story of how you can be found. And with her recipes, you’re in for some extra treats.”
- Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and Somebody Feed Phil
“Shari Wallack packs more than a dollop of self discovery and painful truths as she rises from complete despair to a more realized soul. Her harrowing and ultimately redemptive journey about family, faith, and friendship, follows her wrestling with her past and nurturing the good and bad memories to make a more authentic and enlightening future. With honesty, grace, and without shame, Wallack shares a very personal yet universal story about mental health and the power of nourishing yourself.”
- Kevin McCollum, Four-time Tony award-winning Broadway and Film Producer
"from hell to challah is a shocking, funny, and honest diary of a woman who experiences loss and decides to take a road trip during a pandemic. Shari’s journal captures her thoughts laid bare as she attempts to escape an examination of herself only to discover that road trips aren’t always the dream journeys we imagine them to be. You will howl with laughter and your mouth will fall open more than once at her antics. Through it all, Shari holds nothing back and comes out the other side with a batch of new recipes for life.”
- David Quinn, Co-founder of Allrecipes.com
“Shari Wallack takes us on an incredible and tantalizing journey. When life threw her an enormous curveball, she overcame, conquered, and found passion again! Shari is certainly an inspiration and a shining star. And her hilarious stories had me in stitches!”
- Michelle Fee, CEO of Cruise Planners
“I don’t even cook (my favorite kitchen appliance is the fire extinguisher) but I was inspired to bake challah after reading Shari Wallack’s hilarious travelogue. She’ll take you across the country while progressing through her own psyche. I could not put it down.”
- Wendy Liebman, Comedian
“Despite experiencing dark days, Shari Wallack found the strength to grab flour, yeast, eggs, and other unique ingredients to bake challah. Each braided Jewish bread lifted her spirit and the spirits of family and friends who enjoyed her handiwork. With every challah came a story. When woven together these stories created a poignant tapestry of healing, love, and hope.”
- Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom Synagogue
“Get ready for dose after dose of OMG ingredients throughout this comedic journey of real life experiences. Shari Wallack will make you question what’s really important in life and what legacy you will leave behind.”
- Ken Muskat, EVP & Chief Operating Officer of MSC Cruises
“Bravo to Shari Wallack for her jaw dropping, juicy confessional. Wallack delivers honest and transparent personal stories about anxiety, deep depression, dysfunctional family, and what it’s like being the designated crazy. She kicked being mentally ill in the balls and took charge of something that was out of her control. I laughed, bit my nails, cried, and then had an urge to run to the kitchen and braid some bread. If you’re looking for the read of one of the craziest years on record, this would be it!"
- Sasha Charnin Morrison, Author of Secrets of Stylists
“Shari Wallack’s insatiable curiosity and big heart have made her a masterful collector of people across the globe. It’s no wonder that she was able to convince friends and family to house and bake with her in a pandemic. Her story will inspire you to rediscover your authentic self when you feel as though you have lost everything.”
- Lisa Brescia, Broadway Actor and Assistant Professor at Missouri State University
"from hell to challah is more than a book. It’s a gut wrenching experience of raw honesty, healing, and hope. Shari opens the door to mental health and invites you to sit on the sofa of life and listen without judgement. Everyone you know needs to read this book. Every company needs to give it to their employees who may be suffering in silence and are ready to find peace and joy. I love it."
- Simon T. Bailey, Speaker, Author, Life Coach, and Entrepreneur
