About Apron Anxiety:

Quintessential city girl Alyssa Shelasky, in her early thirties and a former celebrity reporter and popular writer of the blog ApronAnxiety.com, is not shy. So when she moved from New York City to Washington, D.C., to be with her new love, a sexy chef well-known for his success on television, she was not expecting loneliness and despair. But what followed was no fairy tale: Chef hours are tough on a relationship, the food scene deeply intimidated the lifelong kitchen-phobe, and Alyssa's escalating isolation and loss of confidence took an ugly toll. Apron Anxiety is Shelasky's hilarious and heartfelt story of reluctantly learning to cook as a final attempt to find happiness and balance in an unfamiliar setting.

Sick of being a buzzkill and a culinary wallflower, while constantly surrounded by some of the biggest names in the restaurant industry, Alyssa decided to give cooking a shot. Apron Anxiety documents her journey from nearly burning down the house to creating dazzling dinner parties for old friends, new friends, boyfriends, exes, and everything in between. Along the way, Alyssa takes us on a wild ride through her childhood in western Massachusetts; her twenties in Manhattan; and dashing around D.C., Los Angeles, and Brooklyn. Gradually, she discovers a simple style around the stove, and with it a steady calm. Her creative spirit is reignited, and most importantly, she experiences the return of her sense of self, independence, and life's simple pleasures.

Apron Anxiety is a memoir peppered with 30 recipes (including humorously named but nonetheless delicious dishes like Rainy Day Rigatoni and Cherry Crumble for Those Who Crumble Too Easily) about the ups and downs of love, the importance of friends and family, learning to cook, and entering the world of food full throttle. Readers will delight in Alyssa's infectious voice as she dishes on everything from her early days of hard partying, to the unstoppable allure of the very sexy chef scene, to the unexpected inner calm of tying on an apron. With a perspective that is funny, sane, and appealing to both food lovers and the kitchen-challenged alike, Apron Anxiety will speak to any reader who aspires to a life well-seasoned.

About the Author

Alyssa Shelasky is the New York editor of Grub Street at New York magazine, as well as the creator of the blog Apron Anxiety. She has written for numerous publications including People, Us Weekly, Hamptons Style, Gotham, Self, Blackbook, TV Guide, The New York Post, New York magazine, CBS' s Watch magazine, and Glamour magazine.

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