On Saturday, June 18th, from 1 to 3 PM, award-winning cookbook author and chef Sheri Castle will offer a cooking demonstration entitled “Impressive and Easy Summer Dishes.” A native Appalachian known for melding storytelling, humor, and culinary expertise, Castle is an accomplished and sought-after instructor. She will demonstrate two recipes that will appeal to cooks from beginner to expert. Entertaining, says Castle, should be fun for everyone: “Your guests want you to be able to enjoy their company. Do the parts that you love, and find a way to skip or delegate the parts you don’t. This ensures that you and your guests can enjoy the party without undue stress. No one has fun when the host looks like she needs to lie down on the floor and breathe into a bag!” Handouts will be provided, and a question-and-answer session will follow the program. Ticket holders can sample the demonstrated recipes at a meet-and-greet reception, where Castle will sign copies of her cookbooks (available for purchase immediately following the program).

Food City is the corporate sponsor of this event, which will be held at The Depot, upstairs in the Food City Store at 920 State of Franklin Road in Johnson City. All profits from ticket sales benefit Create Appalachia (www.createappalachia.org).

Born in Boone, NC, Castle is proud of her Appalachian roots. Her knowledge of Appalachian food inspires her work with both the Southern Foodways Alliance and the Appalachian Food Summit. A talented recipe writer, she is revered by beginning cooks, professional chefs, and everyone in between. As one of the most popular and experienced cooking teachers in avocational schools across the South, Castle teaches regularly in Chapel Hill, Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah, and Richmond.

Castle’s culinary writing has appeared in Southern Living, Garden and Gun, The Local Palate, Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among many others. She has also been featured on numerous websites, including Epicurious, The Bitter Southerner, and The Kitchn. She is the author of three cookbooks: Rhubarb (2016), The Southern Living Community Cookbook (2014), and The New Southern Garden Cookbook (2011). She co-authored The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook (2010) and has been a ghostwriter for several celebrity cookbooks as well. Her many television appearances include PBS’s The Farmer and A Chef’s Life.

Tickets are $15.00 and are available through Eventbrite at http://createastir.eventbrite.com. Tickets can also be purchased on a cash-only basis in the Food City store at 920 State of Franklin Road in Johnson City. From 3:00-3:45 PM, the book signing will be open to the general public at no charge.

Create Appalachia is a non-profit dedicated to the promotion and professional development of artists and artisans in our region.  www.createappalachia.org.