Book About 'Queen of Mediterranean Cooking' Paula Wolfert Is in the Works

There is a biographical cookbook about legendary cookbook writer Paula Wolfert in the works. Wolfert is known as "the Queen of Mediterranean" and has written nine books on the region, promoting authentic regional cooking in the process. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago, and ever since then she has championed food as medicine and says that "she is seeing real results." Former Food & Wine editor Emily Thelin, photographer Eric Wolfinger, cookbook author Andrea Nguyen, and designer Toni Tajima have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help them raise funds to print Unforgettable: Bold Flavors from a Renegade Life.

The cookbook will feature 50 of Wolfert's "most bold-flavored" recipes including dishes like grilled pork skewers with a pomegranate molasses and dill marinade, creamy avocado toasts, and shrimp suquet featuring ground almonds. The recipes — which the Kickstarter promises are her most accessible — are culled from her nine books and hundreds of magazine articles. Many of the dishes are "in line with her new brain-centric diet."

The team behind the cookbook is looking to raise $45,000 in the next 30 days to help pay for printing and distributing costs. There are a number of perks for donating: $30 gets you a first-edition copy of the book; $500 gets contributors a 30-minute Skype session with Wolfert herself; and $4,000 purchases the opportunity to have a "leisurely weekend lunch for four" with Wolfert and Thelin in the San Francisco-area. The team plans to release the book in spring of 2017. Check out a video about the project below: