The “Belle” BOOk TOUR is my moveable feast! 

Thirteen cities and countless delicious meals (thanks, in no small part, to my fabulous Scribner publicist, Molly Dorozenski)…

Tartare in New York, crabcakes in Maryland, beer-battered shrimp on Mobile Bay, Pensacola grouper, grits in Alabama, lady dips and tea sandwiches in Missississippi, Atlanta peaches and cream, rice and collards and remoulade in Charleston, slow-smoked, sweet and puckery barbecue in North Carolina…

Y’all come join me for a stop or two!

I could get used to Don Imus’ (ex) 46th floor aerie in the CBS studios… Floating above Times Square and the Hudson River, I had a grand ol’ time recording a promo for Belle in the Big Apple. John and Charlie, the most handsome men in the Simon & Schuster digital empire, came at me with an Inside the Actor’s Studio arsenal of questions. 

An amuse bouche:

Handsome S&S men: What are your five most important books?

Me: Play It As It Lays & Slouching Toward Bethlehem (Didion), The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Anita Loos), The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway), Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell). Yep, that’s a weird mix (and that’s six).

Handsome S&S men: What is your fantasy profession?

Me: To be a vigneron. I want to work the vines, get paid to sample exquisite grape juice. 

Handsome S&S men: What’s your advice to young women thinking of making their own moves to the Big Apple?

Me: Move to New York with a dream bigger than yourself or a one year plan. 

(Note: I call the this pose my “Shadowed Barbara Walters”)

See the white dot on the right-hand side of the photo? That’s me!

And the shiny head at the podium? Tom Colicchio!

Although the photo is barely proof that I was a presenter at the James Beard Media Awards (I’m still pinching myself), I’m grateful to E.V. Day, the lovely wife of Ted Lee, for capturing the moment.

Giving medals to the likes of Ruth Reichl and Tom Colicchio while enjoying Rick Bayless fare and sipping on Pegu Club cocktails (Gin Gin Mule–4 stars) adds up to one granddaddy of a night. Right when I declared that the evening couldn’t have been any better, Jamie and I mosey over to the Bon Appetit after party.

Chef Heaven.

Mingling around the Edison Ballroom dance floor are Michael Anthony (Gramercy Tavern), Michael Simon (Iron Chef), Paul Liebrandt (Drew Nierpont’s culinary wunderkid) and…

My knees buckle.

Delicious meatball slider almost rolls down my raw silk dress.

Lipstick check!

JOHN BESH and Jamie are sipping cocktails, one looking more handsome than the next. It would have been the ultimate Gorgeous Chef Trifecta (I can declare my own boyfriend as gorgeous, right?) if Michael Ruhlman had been present. Oh, and then there’s my bad boy crush, Anthony Bourdain…

I’m already choosing my outfit for next year’s awards…

Adding a little rouge to my cheeks, Publisher’s Weekly declares:

“Parkhurst, former blogger and media gossip staple turned Web-and-TV culinary personality, brings considerable Southern charm and sass (plus some mouth-watering recipes) to her chick lit debut…the tartly told story is a genuine guilty pleasure.” (6.23.08)

And my author photo at left. Because “Belle” makes me blush, makes me laugh, makes me squeeze my eyes shut and think, “What have I done to deserve this New York City? My God, the experiences that inspired the book!”

For the full Publisher’s Weekly review, click on “About the Book” and “Reviews.”