Two New York food writers of whom I’m a big fan – Cathy Erway and Leah Koenig – just released new cookbooks. This Tuesday March 31, I’ll be on a panel with them talking about what it’s like to take on your own heritage in a cookbook. The panel/book launch party will be hosted by the brilliant Beth Kracklauer, Food and Drinks Editor at The Wall St Journal. The conversation promises to be raucous and surprising – taking on the interpretation of an ancient cuisine for a modern audience has its challenges as well as its joys. So come join us for a fun evening. Here’s a little info about each book…

Cathy Erway‘s first book The Art of Eating In dramatically affected how I think about dining. Her latest, The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island, is a loving look at her own heritage and a cuisine that’s still mostly unknown in the US.

Leah Koenig is a talented writer on a slew food topics, but also widely recognized as a young voice at the vanguard of Jewish diaspora cooking. Her new book, Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes and Customs for Today’s Kitchen, reinterprets traditional Jewish cooking from the perspective of a Brooklynite who is just as passionate about her Jewish heritage as she is about shopping at the greenmarket and cooking locally.