The beauty of home cooking lies in its ability to be delicious, unpretentious and—dare we say—triumphant, all at the same time. That’s the conviction explored by beloved food blogger and Jersey native Deb Perelman, with her trademark wit, in her second cookbook: Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant & Unfussy New Favorites (Knopf, 2017).
It’s a mission she has brought to millions of Smitten Kitchen blog readers since 2006, an unheard-of run in the fickle turbulence of the internet. There’s a reason they’re hooked. Perelman’s lack of pretense is apparent the moment you speak with her. She’s as charming in real life as she is online, in her blog posts or filming videos for her new digital Food Network series. Case in point: During our interview, I shared that a friend had sorrowfully missed a stop on Perelman’s book tour, wildly pregnant at the time. At that, she joyfully burst out: “Does that mean she has a baby now? Aww . . . send her my congratulations, that’s exciting!”
Jenn Hall 