Dive into the unflinchingly honest and beautifully written memoir, “Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger” by acclaimed pastry chef and James Beard Award-winning essayist, Lisa Donovan. More than just a culinary tale, this is a raw and insightful journey through the demanding world of Southern kitchens, revealing the challenges Donovan faced as a woman carving her own path in an industry often dominated by men. Explore how Donovan helped shape some of the South’s most iconic restaurants, only to grapple with a system that frequently overlooked the contributions of women and cooks of color. The book details her struggle for recognition and agency, ignited by a pivotal encounter with Diana Kennedy, who urged her to “stop letting men tell your story.” “Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger” is a story of resilience, a celebration of Southern culinary heritage, and a testament to the power of women supporting women. Donovan shares intimate details of her personal life, her family’s struggles, and the strength she found in food and the mentorship of other women in the culinary world. A searing examination of class, gender, and race in the South, this memoir is a must-read for anyone seeking an inspiring story of self-discovery and the fight for equality. Discover why Garden & Gun hailed it as a Favorite Book for Southerners.
Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger: A Memoir
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Named a Favorite Book for Southerners in 2020 by Garden & Gun
“Donovan is such a vivid writersmart, raunchy, vulnerable and funny that if her vaunted caramel cakes and sugar pies are half as good as her prose, well, I’d be open to even giving that signature buttermilk whipped cream she tops her desserts with a try.Maureen Corrigan, NPR
Noted chef and James Beard Award-winning essayist Lisa Donovan helped establish some of the South’s most important kitchens, and her pastry work is at the forefront of a resurgence in traditional desserts. Yet Donovan struggled to make a living in an industry where male chefs built successful careers on the stories, recipes, and culinary heritage passed down from generations of female cooks and cooks of color. At one of her career peaks, she made the perfect dessert at a celebration for food-world goddess Diana Kennedy. When Kennedy asked why she had not heard of her, Donovan said she did not know. “I do,” Kennedy said, “Stop letting men tell your story.”
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HUNGER is Donovan’s searing, beautiful, and searching chronicle of reclaiming her own story and the narrative of the women who came before her. Her family’s matriarchs found strength and passion through food, and they inspired Donovan’s accomplished career. Donovan’s love language is hospitality, and she wants to welcome everyone to the table of good food and fairness.
Donovan herself had been told at every juncture that she wasn’t enough: she came from a struggling southern family that felt ashamed of its own mixed race heritage and whose elders diminished their women. She survived abuse and assault as a young mother. But Donovan’s salvations were food, self-reliance, and the network of women in food who stood by her.
In the school of the late John Egerton, OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HUNGER is an unforgettable Southern journey of class, gender, and race as told at table.
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Binding | |
| Condition | |
| ISBN-10 | 0525560947 |
| ISBN-13 | 9780525560944 |
| Language | |
| Pages | 304 |
| Publisher | |
| Year published | |
| Weight | 499 |
| Edition | First Edition |
