Recipes for Disaster A Memoir
Told with heart, humor and honesty; this memoir goes beyond culinary catastrophe and heartwarmingly unveils the lengths we go to in order to please our family, friends, and ourselves—and proves that it’s not the food that counts, but the memories.
Starting with the Thanksgiving turkey that never quite finishes cooking, then moving to the polenta that unceremoniously goes runny and the guests that arrive a day early—there is no topic Tess Rafferty fails to encounter, or hilariously recount. Recipes for Disaster is as though Bridget Jones wrote a culinary narrative—the most pristine of intentions slowly disappear, as does the wine along with any hope of a seamless and well-orchestrated dinner party.
Told with heart, humor and honesty; this memoir goes beyond culinary catastrophe and heartwarmingly unveils the lengths we go to in order to please our family, friends, and ourselves—and proves that it’s not the food that counts, but the memories. Aptly timed for all the Thanksgiving chefs about to enter the holiday gauntlet; or the guests headed to their dinners—this is the perfect book to read and then savor.
Tess Rafferty wrote on the cult show The Soup, where she skewered pop culture, parodied celebrities, and forced her coworkers to attend elaborate dinners she could later write about. When not holding herself to ridiculous standards at dinner parties or learning to speak Italian, Tess continues to perform stand-up and other original works around Los Angeles. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, their three ungrateful cats, a modest wine collection, and a pool. So nothing bad can happen here.
“There is so much I could relate to in Tess’s funny, touching and wise book, …except the parts about struggling to make it in Hollywood, having to cook for myself and actually paying for things (oh, by the way, thanks for the free book.)”
–Joel McHale
“This book combines two of my favorite things: food and parties that end with people crying.”
–Whitney Cummings, comedienne and star of NBC’s Whitney
“Tess Rafferty doesn’t take any of it too seriously—the food, or the failures. I like that about her.”
–Giulia Melucci, author of I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti
“This delectable book is a culinary memoir for those of us who love food but don’t always know exactly when the turkey is safe to eat. Not since the disastrous dinner parties of the classic Mary Tyler Moore show has a sultry brunette more adorably fumbled her way through the kitchen. If you love Laurie Colwin or Nora Ephron, there’s a new witty cook in town you must read: Tess Rafferty. Bon Appetit!”
—Cathryn Michon, author of The Grrl Genius Guide to Life
“Reading RECIPES FOR DISASTER is like being at a terrific dinner party, chock full of comfort foods and lots (and lots) of wine. Tess Rafferty serves up delicious Hollywood stories that are sometimes heartwarming and always hilarious.”
–Adena Halpern, author of 29 and Pinch Me
“Recipes for Disaster is not a book to read on an empty stomach. If you go into it ill-prepared, you will soon find your stomach hurting from laughter and hunger.”
—Examiner.com
“Tess is endearingly hilarious, and the only bad thing about having read this book is knowing how much fun I’ve missed out on by not being invited to one of her dinner parties.”
—Rebecca Fernandez, HelloGiggles
“If you’ve ever thrown a dinner party you need to read this book!”
—BakeSpace.com
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