Award-winning cookbook author Joan Nathan "always felt that cooking is the time to tell stories." And she is, indeed, a storyteller. 

For those who don't know her — and I'm aware that a few of you are lingering out there, because several of my loved ones didn't know her until just recently — Nathan is not only a cookbook author. She hosted the PBS series "Jewish Cooking in America," and she is the winner of two James Beard awards (the food world's equivalent of the Oscars) and an IACP/Julia Child award for her books. She is a regular food writer for The New York Times, and is an alumna of the University of Michigan.

More than being someone who merely offers ideas for dinner, Nathan is an archivist and an anthropologist. As Carole Chaouat, a French woman featured in a recent New York Times article, wrote: "Food is our identity, tradition, and our roots." 

Since Nathan's mission in the 10 cookbooks she's written has been to preserve recipes from around the world — particularly, but not exclusively, those of the Jewish community — she has captured the hearts and souls and histories of those whose food she has presented to her readers. She said "everyone has a different story," and she has worked diligently to record and tell hundreds of them to ensure they are not lost.

For example, in "The New American Cooking," Nathan explained she had "crisscrossed this country, from California to Alaska, from Washington, D.C., to Puerto Rico ... I have explored home kitchens, farms, processing plants, and restaurants, seeking out people who have helped to make American food what it is today. It is these people, with their stories and their recipes, who fill the pages of this book." 

And this same dedication, persistence, and curiosity are found in "Quiches, Kugels and Couscous," which contains stories from men and women of all ages throughout the country, each of whom represents an integral part of the history of Jewish cooking in France. It took four years of active work to produce this collection of recipes and memories, though the initial inspiration for the book was planted during Nathan's first trip to France in high school. 

In Yiddish, the word "bashert" [bah-SHAYRT] means "destiny," and there is no arguing it was bashert for Nathan to be the woman who researched and shared the story of French-Jewish cuisine and its evolution.

In the book, Nathan writes: "When I embark on a cookbook, it's like going on a scavenger hunt. One clue leads to another. Sometimes they lead to unexpected findings ..." 

Findings such as a small bakery in Provence which specializes in Renaissance-era recipes and which produces Nostradamus' Pine Nut Pralines. Or her own cousins' unique salad combining beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles and apples. Or a 400-year-old recipe for a chocolate almond cake that has been passed along orally through three different languages as the family migrated. Or Spiced Lentils with Mint and Cilantro from a Moroccan immigrant whose family descended from prominent merchants and royal counselors, and whose recipes can be traced back as far as 12th century Spain. 

But if you're also looking for the traditional Jewish comfort foods that many people are familiar with — kugels (noodle puddings), for example, or chopped liver (which, of course, the French transform into pâté!) — then you will find luscious examples in this book. The full scope and breadth of Jewish cooking in France, influenced by immigration and expulsion and war and religious tolerance and geography, is shared.

If — like me — you love to cook, you will immediately open "Quiches, Kugels and Couscous" and start looking for the first dish to make; you'll find a bare minimum of 18 contenders for that honor — the Italian plum tart? Maybe the North African roasted red pepper salad with lemon and garlic? Oh, I know — the Moroccan anise-flavored challah. No, wait: Nathan's own favorite lemon tart! Your head will start to spin before you simply close your eyes and point to one, since each sounds more enticing than the next.

But even if you loathe cooking, preferring to subsist on microwave dishes and the kindness of loved ones who offer to feed you, you will find this new book to be fascinating. It is the sort of book you can also read simply as a narrative, since it's part biography, part history text and even part reference work. Holocaust survivors, Resistance fighters, immigrants, and those whose families have maintained a homestead for generations are all represented and honored.

I have been a devoted fan and admirer of Nathan's for years ... so much of one that when I was given the opportunity to write about her upcoming appearance, my initial reaction was like some tween squealing at a Justin Bieber concert. That Nathan is coming to town is a huge event — trust me! 

Nathan said she misses Zingerman's pastrami sandwiches and baked goods; and she enthusiastically said she wants very much to meet chef Eve Aronoff after having watched her on "Top Chef" and to enjoy some of the specialties at her Kerrytown restaurant, eve. 

She also fondly remembered the beloved Drake's on North University Avenue as she thought of their "wonderful pecan rolls" and the late, great "P-Bell" (Pretzel Bell, for those of you who have arrived in Ann Arbor too recently to know of its fabulous salad bar). Nathan even remembered  Red's Rite Spot, of which she said: "You probably never went there — it was a dump!" (But a charming dump she and her roommate loved, clearly, as a warm and welcoming place to eat and study.)

At the Jewish Book Festival, Nathan will speak with moderator Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's Deli. She invited Ann Arborites to "come listen" to them, assuring "everybody will learn something." 

Regarding the recipes and stories in this exceptional new book, the publisher states: "In weaving them together, (Nathan) has created a book that is a testament to the Jewish people, who, despite waves of persecution, are an integral part of France today, contributing to the glory of its cuisine." 

Come on Nov. 1 to listen to the stories: stories about memory, about history, about family, about religion, about tradition, about hope. Oh, and don't forget — there will also be stories about food.

Jewish Book Festival (click to see complete schedule)
Nov. 1-14
Jewish Community Center
2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor
734-971-0990
Click here for a map

Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures in the kitchen. The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured next to the blog's title) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her ... may you always be happy here. Check out her blog -- Food Floozie -- in which she cooks, reviews restaurants and generally enthuses and effuses over all things food-related. Or send an e-mail to yentamary@gmail.com.