Batali Is Writing Two Cookbooks on American Cuisine

Chef and restaurateur Mario Batali has signed a deal for two cookbooks with Grand Central Life & Style, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. The first cookbook will be written in collaboration with Washington Post writer Jim Webster, and will "look at farmers and their top products in 12 American states across the country – from Maine to Seattle – and will include 70 recipes that utilize these local ingredients." The book will be released in Fall 2014 and the title has not been announced yet.

The second cookbook will be "Batali's definitive look at American regional cuisine." The book will feature "over 250 recipes of Batali's interpretations of the best dishes America has to offer" and will "emphasize the inexpensive and the deceptively simple, celebrating the treasures of state fairs, the dishes of local rotary clubs and regional classics." The book will be released in Fall 2015 and the title has not been announced yet.

Batali had previously been with Ecco, so this is a big move. In the press release below, Batali says: "I am extremely excited to join my pals Daniel Boulud and Gwyneth Paltrow at the legendary Hachette/Grand Central." Is it too much to hope for another Batali/Paltrow book? Below, the press release:

GRAND CENTRAL LIFE & STYLE ACQUIRES TWO COOKBOOKS BY ACCLAIMED CHEF MARIO BATALI

New York, NY—September 19, 2013

Grand Central Life & Style, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to announce the acquisition of two new cookbooks by acclaimed chef, restaurateur, award-winning author and television personality Mario Batali. Karen Murgolo, VP, Editorial Director of Grand Central Life & Style acquired world rights at auction from Tony Gardner of Gardner Literary.

The first cookbook will be written by Batali and Washington Post writer Jim Webster, and will look at farmers and their top products in 12 American states across the country – from Maine to Seattle – and will include 70 recipes that utilize these local ingredients. Publication will be in the Fall of 2014.

The second cookbook will be Batali's definitive look at American regional cuisine. Featuring over 250 recipes of Batali's interpretations of the best dishes America has to offer, the cookbook will emphasize the inexpensive and the deceptively simple, celebrating the treasures of state fairs, the dishes of local rotary clubs and regional classics such as the BBQ styles of Texas, the Smokeys and the Carolinas and the seafood soups of Boston and New Hampshire, the Gulf Coast, and the Pacific Northwest. Batali's approach to regional American cuisine will reflect the same excitement and passion as his interpretations of Italian and Spanish traditional and regional cuisine. Publication will be in the Fall of 2015.

Of these acquisitions, Karen Murgolo said, "I am so proud to be publishing Mario Batali on the Grand Central Life & Style list. Batali is an iconic American chef; he is, of course, an expert Italian chef, but he was born and bred in Washington State, resides in New York and Michigan, and is an avid traveller in the United States. I can't wait to see Mario search out and interpret the most delicious and approachable American dishes."

Batali said, "I am extremely excited to join my pals Daniel Boulud and Gwyneth Paltrow at the legendary Hachette/Grand Central and as I prepare to embark on a new path in a new way, discovering, recovering and loving the fantastic and delicious cooking of America."

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