Documentary filmmaker, Judy Hallet, turns cookbook author. All her life Judy has been exposed to good food. Her mother, Lois Dwan, was an exceptional cook as well as the acclaimed restaurant critic (1966 to 1984) for the Los Angeles Times.
Join us for an afternoon tea party in Royal Oak, Maryland on Sunday, December 15 at 3:00pm featuring mint tea, pine nuts and Fatma’s finger pastries – in celebration of the release of Judy Hallet’s “Discovering Tunisian Cuisine” cookbook.
Judy’s first introduction to Tunisian cuisine was in 1964 as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Fifty years later, she was back in Tunisia with her husband, Stanley, whom she met in Tunisia as a Peace Corps Volunteer. A professor of architecture, Stanley had been asked to transform the architectural design curriculum at a private university in Tunis. Over the next three years, Judy and Stanley returned to Tunisia for several month-long stays, enjoying once again the incredible Tunisian cuisine.
Realizing that few people in the United States knew about Tunisia and its cuisine based on the healthy Mediterranean diet, Judy decided to write a cookbook with the university president’s wife, Raoudha Guellali Ben Taarit, and her cook, Hasna Trabelsi. Over many visits, she patiently watched Raoudha and Hasna prepare recipes passed down by their mothers, mothers-in-law, and grandmothers. French and Arabic instructions were carefully translated into English.
Writing her first cookbook on this little-known but extraordinary Tunisian cuisine was a natural transition for Judy. As a documentary filmmaker, she has always loved documenting different cultures and tasting tantalizing foods. With her film background, she wanted this cookbook to be a delight to the eye as well as to the palate. For this reason, the photography and the graphic layout became important elements in the book.
From the introduction to the very end, the recipes are interspersed with personal as well as historic notes of reference that provide a much-needed context as well as insights into this lesser known North African cuisine. Judy wanted the book to be not only a set of recipes but also a visual journey into the world of Tunisia and its delectable cuisine. She strongly believes that through food, diverse cultures can better relate to each other. What better way to break down barriers than by sitting around the table and enjoying a good meal together.
Sunday, December 15, 2019 ~ 3:00pm
Afternoon tea to celebrate the release of “DISCOVERING TUNISIAN CUISINE”
by Judith Dwan Hallet, with Raoudha Guellali BenTaarit and Hasna Trabelsi
Cove House on Broad Creek Royal Oak, MD
RSVP to [email protected] for address
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