Don't forget: Fearrington House is hosting a reception  followed by two panels on publishing tomorrow night. The event coincides with Kim Sunee's Floating Island Writers' Workshop in Chapel Hill.

There will be a cocktail reception from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12 before the two publishing panels. The reception costs $35. For tickets, go to http://mcintyresbooks.eventbrite.com

The panels, one starts at 5:30 p.m and the other starts at 6:30 p.m., include these speakers: Sunee, Frances Mayes, auther of "Under the Tuscan Sun"; Sara Foster, cookbook author and owner of Foster's Market, Sheri Castle, a cooking instructor with a forthcoming cookbook, "The New Southern Garden Cookbook";  Rica Allannic, cookbook editor for Clarkson Potter who worked with chef Andrea Reusing of Lantern on her forthcoming cookbook; Reusing; Lynn Andriani, a senior editor at Publishers' Weekly; and me, as food writer for the N&O and a member of the James Beard Foundation book awards committee. 

So you want to be a published writer?

Fearrington House is hosting a reception followed by two panels on publishing to coincide with Kim Sunee's Floating Island Writers' Workshop in Chapel Hill next week.

On Tuesday, there will be a cocktail reception from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12 14 before the two publishing panels. The reception costs $35. For tickets, go to http://mcintyresbooks.eventbrite.com

The panels, one starts at 5:30 p.m and the other starts at 6:30 p.m., include these speakers: Sunee, Frances Mayes, auther of "Under the Tuscan Sun"; Sara Foster, cookbook author and owner of Foster's Market, Sheri Castle, a cooking instructor with a forthcoming cookbook, "The New Southern Garden Cookbook";  Rica Allannic, cookbook editor for Clarkson Potter who worked with chef Andrea Reusing of Lantern on her forthcoming cookbook; Reusing; Lynn Andriani, a senior editor at Publishers' Weekly; and me, as food writer for the N&O and a member of the James Beard Foundation book awards committee. 

Panels will be moderated by Keebe Fitch, founder of McIntyre's Bookstore.

Congrats to chef Andrea Reusing and George O'Neal of Lil Farm, who are featured in the new cookbook, "Harvest to Heat: Cooking with America's Best Chefs, Farmers and Artisans," by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer.

I can't wait to try making Reusing's snow eggs with green tea creme anglaise.

Congrats to Andrea Reusing and Matt and Sheila Neal, their businesses are featured in this month's issue of Food & Wine magazine.

HERE is a link to the article about Reusing and Lantern in Chapel Hill.

HERE is a link to the story about Neal's Deli, written by John T. Edge.

The latest from the James Beard Foundation is that chefs Bill Smith and Andrea Reusing have been nominated for Best Chef in the Southeast.

This is Smith's second time as a finalist and Reusing's first. Although Reusing cooked at last year’s awards gala. Smith is the chef at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, and Reusing is the chef/owner at Lantern. 

The James Beard awards are often described as the Oscars of the food world, giving out awards for restaurants, chefs, wine service, cookbooks and food journalism. 

"Yikes!" said Smith when reached at home and told the news. "I'm thrilled, of course." 

Smith will attend the James Beard gala May 3 in New York City. Like last year, he plans to bring his sisters with him again. Last year, two of his three sister went with him. He hopes to get all three to go this time. 

“I was really suprised,” said Reusing, who learned the news from a friend who also was a semifinalist. She says she hopes to be able to attend the gala with her staff who cooked at last year’s event so they can relax and enjoy the festivities this time.  

The other chef finalists in the category include Sean Brock of McCrady’s in Charleston; Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten in Athens, Ga.; and Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta.

The only other North Carolinian to receive a nomination was Peter Reinhart, an instructor at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte. Reinhart's "Artisan Breads Every Day," was nominated in the baking category in the cookbook competition.