Rough Draft is excited to celebrate author Melina Hammer on the launch of her new cookbook, A Year at Catbird Cottage. The book includes 100 recipes for seasonal, locally sourced, and foraged dishes from the owner of the idyllic Catbird Cottage B&B in nearby Accord.
Melina will be joined in conversation by fellow cookbook author Sarah Copeland. Sarah’s books, including The Newlywed Cookbook, Every Day Is Saturday, and Instant Family Meals, are bestsellers—both nationwide and here at Rough Draft.
This event is free with food, drink, or book purchase. Seating is first-come, first-serve, but RSVPs via Eventbrite are appreciated. (They help us stay in touch in case of changes, and they give us an idea of how many people to expect.)
Come for the discussion; stay for the book signing and meet-and-greet to follow. Copies of A Year at Catbird Cottage will be available for purchased on event night, but preorders are strongly encouraged (for pickup at the event) in order to ensure there are enough books for everyone.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
At the foot of the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge lies the hamlet of Accord, New York, dotted with orchards and farms, population 562. There, Melina Hammer welcomes guests from near and far to stay and eat at Catbird Cottage, a B&B run out of her charming home. Her eclectic table is set with meals that showcase stories and ingredients from her own garden, New York’s wild landscape, and her travels around the globe.
In her debut cookbook, Melina shares the beloved recipes from this special place, all presented seasonally just like the meals at Catbird Cottage. Whether it’s Wild Salmon Gravlax, Scallop-Shiso Ceviche, Buttery Scrambled Eggs and Chanterelles, Sour Cherry Pie, or a fall-apart persimmon served with triple-cream cheese and freshly baked sourdough bread, Melina’s food is deeply satisfying and sustaining—and emphasizes cooking and living in a more connected and joyful way.
Melina also shares her foraging and preserving know-how, allowing readers to stock their pantries, cupboards, and freezers. But these recipes don’t require you be a fully-fledged homesteader, expert forager, or connoisseur of global flavor. The book takes the foundations of these sustainable practices and integrates them into an accessible kitchen vernacular of complete nourishment. The food of Catbird Cottage is community on a plate—grown, harvested, persevered, and presented with love—and shared with cherished companions.
COVID PROTOCOLS:
Rough Draft is following the CDC's guidance regarding masking and social distancing based on current community risk level in Ulster County. As long as this level remains low, masks will not be required indoors.