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A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER Dear Reader, I’m writing to tell you about Agate’s lead cookbook for the fall season, GRANDBABY CAKES: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories (Agate Surrey; 978-157284-173-4; September 15, 2015; $22.95), by nationally celebrated food blogger Jocelyn Delk Adams. Since founding her popular recipe blog, Grandbaby Cakes, in 2012, Adams has been putting fresh twists on classic favorites. This debut cookbook collects 50 vintage cake recipes—some from her blog, many entirely new—and accentuates them with gorgeous photography, old family snapshots, and heartwarming memories of her family’s generations-old love of baking. As a child, Adams and her family would routinely embark on the ten-hour journey from their home in Chicago to Winona, Mississippi, where she would watch her grandmother—affectionately called “Big Mama”—invent delicious, melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Over the years, Big Mama’s recipes became the fabric of their family heritage. Much like her blog, Adams’s cookbook was written to honor her grandmother’s baked innovations, showcase her own pastry work in an accessible way, and thank those who came before by passing on these edible family traditions. This cookbook will inspire readers with bold, eclectic recipes steeped in equal parts warm Southern charm and fresh Midwestern flavors. Adams creates sophisticated combinations based on Big Mama’s gorgeous centerpiece cakes, giving each recipe something familiar mixed with something new. Home bakers will be able to make family staples like yellow cake, as well as impressive innovations, such as the Blood Orange Mimosa Cake. Grandbaby Cakes is a collection for both forward-looking and traditional bakers, but mostly it’s for anyone who wants recipes full of heart and soul. Adams has earned praise from critics and the adoration of bakers for her easygoing advice, rich photography, and charming family lore. Grandbaby Cakes is a book perfect for passing from generation to generation. I hope you will consider Grandbaby Cakes for a review or feature. Author Jocelyn Delk Adams, who has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Parade, Ebony, Pillsbury, and more, is also available for interviews. To learn more, please contact Jacqueline Jarik, Agate’s marketing and publicity assistant, at 847-475-4457 ext. 4# or at jarik@agatepublishing.com. Best,
Doug Seibold
Agate Publishing, Inc. 1328 Greenleaf St. Evanston IL 60202 847.475.4457 agatepublishing.com
Agate Fine Print.
Praise for Jocelyn Delk Adams, her blog, and Grandbaby Cakes “There is a heritage of love and tradition steeped in her recipes that is a clear influence of her grandmother and family roots. But I can definitely see the playful touch and modern impact she gives as well. This book is a tribute to those who know where they came from, and also where they are going. . . . It is a trip down memory lane that ends with delicious treats on your table.” —Carla Hall, Author of Cooking with Love: Comfort Food that Hugs You and Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World “Baker extraordinaire . . . a sweet celebration of the season.” —Better Homes and Gardens “Jocelyn brings such an amazing creativity and heart to the recipes she develops for Pillsbury. She’s the best kind of baker—inventive yet careful and thorough so you always know you can trust her recipes. Jocelyn’s sweet tooth is always right on the money! We’re so lucky to have her as part of the Pillsbury community.” —Kate Rogers, Senior Editor of Pillsbury “Dessert is in Jocelyn Delk Adams’s DNA. . . . [a] natural baker.” —Rachel Tepper, Yahoo! Food “Beautifully curated with recipes, photos, and stories to really draw readers in.” —Cuisine Noir “A tribute to the women who taught Delk Adams life lessons while cooking, Grandbaby Cakes features a modern take on generations-old recipes.” —Chicago Sun-Times
AWARDS FOR GRANDBABY CAKES, the blog Yahoo Best Holiday Recipes Competition (2012) The Kitchn Best Recipe Blog Finalist (2013) Black Weblog Best Food Blog Nominee (2013) Agate Publishing, Inc. 1328 Greenleaf St. Evanston IL 60202 847.475.4457 agatepublishing.com
Agate Fine Print.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jacqueline Jarik, Marketing and Publicity Assistant 847.475.4457 ext. 4#, jarik@agatepublishing.com
Grandbaby Cakes Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories By Jocelyn Delk Adams Hook: A beautiful debut cookbook from award-winning food blogger Jocelyn Delk Adams, a fresh new voice in home baking. The book includes 50 vintage cake recipes, many featuring contemporary twists—a collection perfect for passing from generation to generation. Grandbaby Cakes begins with helpful sections that introduce readers to baking tricks and techniques as well as ingredient tips and advice on kitchen equipment. The book is divided into six sections: Pound Cakes, Layer Cakes, Sheet Cakes, Baby Cakes (cupcakes and cakelettes), Celebration Cakes, and Seasonal Cakes. Each recipe is classified by its degree of difficulty—easy, intermediate, and advanced—making it easy for bakers of all ages and skill levels to find the right cake for them. Through rich photography, vintage family snapshots, charming stories, and easygoing advice, Jocelyn shares her family’s traditions with readers and encourages them to make their own sweet-tasting memories. Recipes include: • • • • • •
Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Cornmeal Pound Cake Blood Orange Mimosa Cake Coca-Cola Cake Sea Salt Caramel Cake Marble Texas Sheet Cake
• • • • • •
Mississippi Mud “Slide” Cake Roasted Raspberry Cupcakes Strawberry Sundae Cake German Chocolate Pound Cake Pumpkin Coffee Toffee Cupcakes Peach Cobbler Shortcake
Jocelyn Delk Adams is the founder of Grandbaby Cakes, a food blog inspired by her grandmother and devoted to classic desserts and modern trends in pastry. Her work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Ebony, the New York Times, People, Food52, The Kitchn, the Chicago Sun-Times, and more. She blogs at www.grandbaby-cakes.com. Grandbaby Cakes, September 15, 2015, 978-1-57284-173-4, 7.5x10 in, 208 pp., Cooking/Courses & Dishes/Desserts, $22.95 ### Agate Publishing, Inc. 1328 Greenleaf St. Evanston IL 60202 847.475.4457 agatepublishing.com
Agate Fine Print.
Q. & A. with Jocelyn Delk Adams, Author of
Grandbaby Cakes You’ve said in your blog that you didn’t realize you had the “baking gene” until you were in your twenties. How did you discover your penchant for baking? I knew early on that I definitely could bake and enjoyed it, but unlike the elder women in my family, I didn’t feel a strong desire to be in the kitchen. A connection was missing for me. Deep inside, I downright rejected the notion of wanting to bake for the pure enjoyment of it. I thought the idea was primitive and anti-modern, but inwardly something kept drawing me into the kitchen. One weekend in my late twenties, I was bored and randomly walked into my kitchen and pulled out the ingredients to bake a pound cake. Something just felt so right that I decided to stop fighting it. I continued to bake every weekend, trying new combinations and spins on my family recipes. From there, it became the only thing I wanted to do and share. Many of your recipes are steeped in your family’s Southern heritage. Has your life in Chicago similarly informed your baking? My life in Chicago has altered the way I was taught to bake in many ways. Midwestern and Southern lifestyles have many things in common, such as relaxed philosophies and friendly people who speak pleasantries just because of good home training. However, living in a very hip, urban city like Chicago has exposed me to a lot more culture and creativity. My husband and I love to try new restaurants and bakeries in the city, and each menu has inspired me greatly. We have some of the best chefs in the world here. I realize that these cutting-edge gifts are not as prevalent in Winona, Mississippi, where my grandparents live. The Chicago influence definitely prevents me from getting stale when it comes to my recipe development. Why do you think it is important to honor family cooking and baking traditions? Before I started my blog, I noticed that a lot of my friends didn’t cook or bake much. Their daily consumption routines came in the form of take-out and fancy restaurant dining. I was quite similar when I was in my twenties. At some point, I realized the importance of historical reference and legacy. I receive so many emails from readers who are thankful for my site. A lot of readers mention that they love certain recipes that their parents or grandparents made when they were growing up, but that they missed the opportunity to learn those recipes before their relatives passed away. I hope I am helping to fill in that gap and provide a place where people can feel some sort of family connection, even if their loved ones are no longer here. For those that do have loved ones here, and fantastic recipes worth preserving, I hope I am inspiring people to capture those recipes along with their unique history, so they can pass them on to new generations.
Agate Publishing, Inc. 1328 Greenleaf St. Evanston IL 60202 847.475.4457 agatepublishing.com
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What are your favorite unexpected flavors to use in cakes? I love playing with expected flavors in unexpected ways. One of my favorite cakes in the cookbook is the Arnold Palmer Cake, which is inspired by a favorite drink of mine that combines sweet tea and lemonade. I coupled these flavors in the recipe by creating a tart lemon cake with a sweet tea buttercream. Separate they are more common, but together they create an unexpected flavor profile that just works! What do you hope your readers gain from Grandbaby Cakes? I hope I am making the art of baking seem cool and fresh again for younger audiences, while also honoring those that came before me. But most importantly, I hope I am inspiring a need for families to reconnect, find their legacies, and carry them forward in their own contemporary ways. What has been the most rewarding thing about turning your blog into a book? Writing a cookbook has been a dream I’ve had since I first bought the domain for my site. I figured it would come much later, but this timing definitely feels right! While the recipes—both savory and sweet—on my site represent a large part of who I am, this book allowed me to delve deeper into a single dessert subject and my own family history. I loved sifting through vintage photos and hearing the funny stories behind them. I adored talking to my grandparents about their history and seeing how it all ties back to me. The blog just touches the surface of what I am able to share in the book. I’m so privileged to be the vessel that carries a family legacy forward in a unique way. What advice do you have for novice bakers who pick up Grandbaby Cakes? My advice is to start with easier recipes and then challenge yourself with harder recipes. One feature I love about Grandbaby Cakes is that it categorizes recipes by level of difficulty. Beginners will know exactly where to begin if they haven’t baked a scratch cake before. Novice bakers need to gain the confidence that comes with knowing they created a successful recipe. The intimidation factor melts away as soon as that happens. Lastly, just remember that baking is supposed to be fun and relaxing. I’m not a fan of tough love and pressure in my kitchen.
Agate Publishing, Inc. 1328 Greenleaf St. Evanston IL 60202 847.475.4457 agatepublishing.com