Jan D'Atri and The Spatuloons might sound like an all-girl fifties band, but the phrase actually refers a trio of wooden kitchen utensils, the latest product offering from local cookbook author and television personality, Jan D'Atri.
D'Atri will be hosting a cooking show and signing copies of her books this evening from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Whole Foods Market located at Mayo Blvd and Scottsdale Road.
If her wooden spoons seem a little theatrical, it might be because D'Atri has a family history of feeding the famous. She grew up around her parents' restaurant D'Atri's of Lake Tahoe, where Liberace often hung around the kitchen while D'Atri's mother Livia prepared her famous ravioli.
D'Atri, an award winning television host and producer, went on to open two restaurants in Scottsdale, as well as a gourmet food business. But it was her childhood memories of growing up in a family where sharing food was a way of life that gave D'Atri the inspiration for both of her cookbooks.
D'Atri collaborated with her mother to produce the first cookbook in 2006. Momma & Me & You, follows the D'Atri family's journey from Italy to Scottsdale.
Each recipe includes a short narrative on its origin, like the cannelloni passed on from a World War II navy chef or the pasta fagioli handed down from her Italian grandmother. It's no surprise that the book, with its eye-catching photography and mouth-watering recipes, sold out twice on QVC and continues to be a huge hit among her followers.
While on the Momma & Me book tour, D'Atri discovered the idea for their most recent book, D'Atri's Rescued Recipes, a collection of recipes and stories from all of the wonderful people she and her mother met while on the road.
This year, she also brings a new product to the table, the curvy Spatuloon.
The wooden utensil, a cross between a spoon and a spatula, is a based on a favorite antique cleverly designed to mimic the shape of the jars and bowls. The spoon is made from bamboo so it won't stain when D'Atri whips up one of her signature sauces. It is featured in the Rescued Recipe book and proceeds from the sale of the Spatuloon will go into a fund which will allow D'Atri to teach cooking concepts in Phoenix area schools.
For more details on this event and others visit her website at www.jandatri.com.
