WEST BLOOMFIELD TWP. — Baking and nourishing others since she was 10 years old, Samira Cholagh is thrilled to announce the debut of her third and most extensive cookbook, "a baking journey" (Tate, 2011).
"I've been cooking and experimenting in the kitchen since I was a little girl," says the author, who is the star of a weekly cooking show on MEA-TV. "This book took me many years to complete. My friends kept asking when it would be ready so they could try my recipes they've enjoyed over the years."
Accompanied by photographs taken by Ally Cohen, of Frameable Faces Photography, a baking journey contains nearly 520 recipes categorized in the following sections: bread, morning pastries, cookies, bars and brownies, cakes, elegant pastries and sweet endings.
Cholagh, who emigrated to the United States from Iraq more than 30 years ago, wrote her first cookbook, Mukhtarat Min Finon Al Tabekh, or Selections From the Art of Cooking, in Arabic to teach fellow immigrants how to make traditional American dishes that their children favored.
Her second book, Treasured Middle Eastern Cookbook, compiled Middle Eastern recipes authentic to their heritage for the very American offspring of those same immigrants, so they could make the favorite flavors and dishes of their families and community.
"Through cooking, we stay connected to generations of relatives and friends, and to our own history," says Cholagh, who raised three children to balance their American and Chaldean identities. She is now a grandmother and dedicated member of the local Chaldean community's efforts to preserve traditions and recipes that reflect their culture and beliefs.
"This book took years of love and hard work to put together. It is such an honor to see it in hardcover and know that people around the world will make my recipes to nourish their families," says Cholagh. "It is amazing what we can create with the simple work of our hands and our hearts."
Cholagh will be signing her books and offering samples of her baked goods at these locations:
Dec. 3 at the Plymouth Coffee Bean, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 884 Penniman Ave. in Plymouth (734:454:0178)

Dec. 10 at La Spezia Flavor Market, 2-5 p.m., 32802 Franklin Road in Franklin (248:464:7550)

Dec. 11 at Williams Sonoma, Somerset Collection, 2-5 p.m.

________________________________

The information contained in or attached to this e-mail contains confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mail is PROHIBITED. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and delete the e-mail immediately. Thank you.