Last night was the release party for Life of Reiley’s two latest books – Chrysta Wilson’s Kiss My Bundt and Amy Reiley’s new collaboration with Juan-Carlos Cruz, The Love Diet which is coming out next week. The party was at Amy’s house which is designed around a large open kitchen created specifically for events and commercial production, and I got to finally do some cooking! We featured recipes from The Love Diet including addictive walnut-blue cheese brittle and spicy lemongrass mussels. (I’ll try to get some recipes and more photos in very soon).
The festivities began a few hours before the actual party when the first couple cases of the new book were delivered. Amy has a tradition that when she gets the first editions of her books, she toasts with a glass of a custom blended Hennessey Cognac that she blended herself on a special visit to the distiller. What a treat – it was so feminine, delicate spices and lingering floral aromas… a great start!
After the initial media-only hour, the real party began. Friends poured in including Lisa Peju of Peju Winery who brought along some great Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon to go with the Perrier Joet Champagne. All of the wines were set up as pairings for Kiss My Bundt’s decadent Lemon Basil, Red Velvet and Callebaut Dark Chocolate bundt cakes.
It was a beautiful Southern California night; an outdoor living room set-up was ideal for comfortable conversation, and the evening was enjoyed by all. Amy held up well despite a broken foot and the obvious absence of her co-author who was, unfortunately, unable to attend for complicated personal reasons.