LF 081717

LakeForestLeader.com LIFE & ARTS
the lake forest leader | August 17, 2017 | 19
LF resident returns after appearing on Food Network
Addie Gundry signs
cookbooks at Lake
Forest Book Store
Gianna Annunzio
Freelance Reporter
For Lake Forest resident
Addie Gundry, going from
childhood Kraft Mac &
Cheese dinners to winning
Food Network’s “Cuthroat
Kitchen” was just a small
step in her culinary career.
While this may seem like a
far-fetched jump, for Gundry
— a competitive chef
and now author — this
was only the beginning.
Although her passion for
food began in her youth,
Gundry’s family members
rarely cooked while she
was growing up, or prepared
any meals outside
of TV dinners. Despite the
boarding high school she
attended not allowing access
to a kitchen, Gundry
would study recipes in
Martha Stewart’s magazine
and Gourmet Magazine.
“I loved [Martha’s]
magazine and her books,
and thought it was such a
beautiful way to create a
life,” Gundry said. “So I
would read about food and
when I went home during
vacations, I would practice
things I read about.”
She eventually went on
to study the culinary arts
in France, and worked for
chefs like Thomas Keller
and Martha Stewart. It
wasn’t long before she
received a phone call asking
if she wanted to compete
on Food Network’s
competitive cooking show
“Cutthroat Kitchen” in October
2015. After a full day
of competing, Gundry won
the contest.
“It was really cool,” she
said. “It was my first time
on camera, it was my first
time really competing. But
it was fun, it was meant to
be a fun show.”
Gundry currently works
for Prime Publishing in
Northbrook, where she
oversees all culinary content
and began writing her own
cookbooks. She presented
her two new books, “No-
Bake Desserts: 103 Easy
Recipes for No-Bake Cookies,
Bars and Treats” and
“Family Favorite Casserole
Recipes: 103 Comforting
Breakfast Casseroles, Dinner
Ideas and Desserts Everyone
Will Love,” at The
Lake Forest Bookstore on
Wednesday, Aug. 9.
Gundry spoke about her
work as a chef at the event,
answered questions and
discussed her cookbooks
in detail.
“We wanted to do 100
recipes and have a photo
for each,” Gundry explained.
“For some reason,
we decided to do 103 because
we couldn’t figure
out which recipes to get rid
of, so we kept 103.”
Both cookbooks were
available for in-store purchase
during the event.
After the discussion, fans
lined up to get their copy
of Gundry’s cookbooks
signed.
The event was in full
swing as attendees tried
samples of Gundry’s baking
— all recipes directly out
of her cookbooks. Sweets
included cake batter balls
from her no-bake desserts
book, and smoked Gouda
mac & cheese casserole.
She also packaged goodie
bags of rainbow mint bark,
a white chocolate treat, for
guests to take home.
Gundry said the main
goal of both cookbooks
was to provide recipes that
were easy to make, and
were “pretty” in presentation.
“I want people to feel
like they can create a cake
for their child’s birthday,”
she said. “The goal of these
books is to show people it
can be easy to create delicious
and elegant food, it
doesn’t need to be complicated.”
Two more cookbooks
by Gundry are set to come
out this November. One
will be packed with dinner
ideas and the other with
cookie recipes.
“The books are supposed
to be a series, so we’ll start
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Lake Forest chef Addie Gundry provided a spread
of sampler treats for all guests who attended her
cookbook signing.
focusing on promoting
those,” she said. “The plan
is to continue writing.”
“It’s been a really exciting
summer with the
books,” Gundry said.
“Since I’m new to this, I
don’t know how long you
promote them, but right
now, it’s still fun.”
To learn more about
Gundry’s work or to purchase
her cookbooks, visit
www.easyelegantentertaining.com.
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Lake Forest chef, Addie Gundry, who appeared on Food Network, signs copies of
her new cook books for fans during an author event at Lake Forest Book Store on
Wednesday, Aug. 9. Photos by Gianna Annunzio/22nd Century Media
1879 Chestnut Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025 | 224-424-0737 | emeraldplacemc.com
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