What: Fireside Writers Series with authors Mitch Omer and Ann Bauer of "Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes from Hell's Kitchen" Where: 318 Café, 318 Water St., Excelsior When: Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m. Cost: Free Reservations: Call 318 Café at 952-401-7902
By Taylor Kollitz
Award-winning columnist meets obsessive-compulsive, bipolar chef. Memoir meets cookbook. The combination is straight from Hell's Kitchen.
"Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes from Hell's Kitchen" is the joint effort between author Ann Bauer and Mitch Omer, who owns Hell's Kitchen restaurants in Minneapolis and Duluth.
Bauer and Omer met in 2004 when Bauer wrote a profile on the "balls-to-the-wall" chef. The feature-length story won the former food editor awards.
Omer is one of the most creative, unique people she has met, Bauer said.
"He is color, art, cartoons, literature, religion, tattoos," she said. "He just doesn't hold back."
This attitude is what inspired Omer to release his award-winning recipes to the public, he said. The difficult part was deciding which recipes to keep in the book and which recipes to cut.
"That was hard," Omer said. "I wanted to put them all in there, but the publishers set a limit on how many could be included."
On Oct. 5, Bauer and Omer will take part in the Fireside Writers Series, a partnership between Excelsior Bay Books and 318 Café to promote local authors and their books.
"I think it's always interesting to hear from creative people within the metro area, especially someone with a larger-than-life personality like Mitch," said Ann Woodbeck of Excelsior Bay Books. "Two distinct professionals who know each other well should provide people with a fun night out."
Instead of charging admission, those who wish to attend the event can reserve a table at 318 Café and simply order off the menu, Woodbeck said.
Omer is unsure of what to expect on Oct. 5 and is terrified of what the public will think.
"I've been so close to the book I can't look at it with an even eye," he said.
Different publishers had approached both Bauer and Omer for a book, but neither would publish a food book without the other.
They had worked together on articles before, so publishing a book together only seemed logical, Omer said.
Outside of work, Omer and Bauer are close friends. Omer even performed Bauer's wedding ceremony on his boat on Lake Superior.
"I think what makes this book so special is the fact that it's a two-family effort," Bauer said. "Mitch's wife Cynthia is a superb business person with a 'I will stop at nothing' attitude, my husband John proofread the book and my son Max tested all the recipes."
Omer is excited for the release of the cookbook because it was such a special project, sharing not only details of his sordid past but the recipes that had been his constant through it all.
"It's our collaboration, her words, my story, several recipes. It's more than just about me, which I think is really cool," Omer said.
