beard foundation www.virginiawillis.com

Down-Home Comfort with Red-Eye Gravy and Deadlines

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Grits with Country Ham and Red Eye Gravy on Down-Home Comfort on Food Network

I’ve got a stack of books I’m in love with and can’t wait to share with you – Summerland by Anne Quatrano, Cooking Light’s Global Kitchen by Dave Joachim, Latin American Street Food by Sandra Gutierrez, just to name a few….But, my friends, I’m on deadline for my next book with Ten Speed Press, titled Lighten Up, Y’all.

It’s due March 17 and I have to stay super focused.

So, this is more of a catch-up than a proper post. Testing has been going really great – I am loving the recipes, as are my guinea pigs. How about a Lightened Up Cream Cheese Brownies, Macaroni and Cheese, AND Old-Fashioned Pot Roast?!

I’m especially excited because I requested this next book to be paperback — and less than $25. I want people to cook from my books and want this one to be as accessible as possible. It will have 100 recipes and over 75 extraordinary photographs by my dear friend, the beautiful and talented Angie Mosier.

There’s been a good bit going on — I’m working with IdeaLand and Pixie Wizard on a new website that will be AWESOME. I’m thrilled with their work so if you need someone to work on your corner of the web, make sure to check them out.

I’ve got lots of events and classes lined up for spring; please check out my events page. (Summer will be up soon.)

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The big news is that Down-Home Comfort on FoodNetwork.com is a BIG success. I’m heading into a photo shoot for the summer Down-Home Comfort posts as soon as my manuscript is finished.

This week I am sharing a recipe for Stone-ground Grits with Country Ham and Red Eye Gravy.

So, please forgive the sound of crickets from my own blog — and in the meanwhile, please follow Down-Home Comfort  on FoodNetwork.com — and, help a sister out – please like, pin, share, and tweet!

Bon Appétit Y’all!
Virginia Willis 

If you are interested in hosting me for an event, cooking class, or a book signing, let me know! Send an email to jona@virginiawillis.com and we’ll be back in touch as soon as possible.

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cookbooks on www.virginiawillis.com

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

Virginia Willis

Georgia-born French-trained Chef Virginia Willis’ biography includes making chocolate chip cookies with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, foraging for berries in the Alaskan wilderness, harvesting capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano in Sicily, and hunting for truffles in France. She is talent and chef-instructor for the digital streaming platform Food Network Kitchen. Her segments feature authentic and innovative Southern cooking. She was the celebrity chef at the Mansion at Churchill Downs for the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Virginia has spoken at SXSW, cooked for the James Beard Foundation, and beguiled celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Morgan Freeman, and Jane Fonda with her cooking — but it all started in her grandmother’s country kitchen. Recently, her work has been inspired by her weight loss success story, Virginia has lost 65# and kept it off for over 2 1/2 years! “If a French-trained, Southern chef can do it, you can, too.” She is the author of Fresh Start; Secrets of the Southern Table; Lighten Up, Y’all; Bon Appétit, Y’all; Basic to Brilliant, Y’all; Okra; and Grits. Lighten Up, Y’all won a James Beard Foundation Award of Excellence in the Focus on Health Category. Lighten Up, Y’all as well as her first cookbook, Bon Appétit, Y’all, were finalists in the Best American Cookbook for the International Association of Cookbook Awards and were also named by the Georgia Center of the Book as “Books Georgians Should Read.” She is the former TV kitchen director for Martha Stewart Living, Bobby Flay, and Nathalie Dupree; has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants; and traveled the world producing food stories – from making cheese in California to escargot farming in France. She has appeared on Food Network’s Chopped, CBS This Morning, Fox Family and Friends, Martha Stewart Living, and as a judge on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. She’s been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, People Magazine, Eater, and Food52 and has contributed to Eating Well, GRLSQUASH, Culture, Garden & Gun, and Bon Appétit, and more. The Chicago Tribune praised her as one of “Seven Food Writers You Need to Know.” Her legion of fans loves her down-to-earth attitude, approachable spirit, and traveling exploits. Her culinary consulting company, Virginia Willis Culinary Enterprises, Inc specializes in content creation, recipe development, culinary editorial and production services, cookbook writing, media training, spokesperson and brand representation, and public speaking. Virginia is on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force, the Atlanta Community Food Bank Advisory Board, as well as the Community Farmers Market Advisory Board. She is a food and hunger advocate for No Kid Hungry and a premier member of the No Kid Hungry Atlanta Society. She a member of The James Beard Foundation, Chef’s Collaborative, Georgia Organics, and Southern Foodways Alliance.

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