Stew Leonard's Yonkers Wine Shop and Palm Bay Imports host a special book signing and wine tasting featuring celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, who will be autographing copies of her newest cookbook, LIDIA’S FAMILY TABLE (Knopf, November 30, 2004) at a special price of $24.99. The cookbook is the companion book to her new Public Television series of the same name, which begins airing in April 2005. Billed as the “most instructive and personal cookbook yet”, the book includes more than 200 recipes for family feasting, Italian-style.

“In this book, I want to share with you the cooking I do at home, in the midst of my busy work life, in a house where you never know how many people are going to come through, hungry,” said Lidia. “Explaining how I cook at home is another goal of this book. The recipes detail the techniques I consider most important – the ones I rely on to make delicious dishes quickly.”

Lidia Bastianich is widely regarded as the "First Lady of Italian cuisine and restaurants in the United States." She was named "Outstanding Chef" in 2002 and "Best Chef in New York" in 1999 by the James Beard Foundation. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia, named by Zagat as one of the Top Italian restaurants and among the Top 50 overall restaurants. For more information on Lidia, visit www.lidiasitaly.com

More than 20 wines will be sampled at the event, including two of Italy's foremost producers: Feudi di San Gregorio from Campania, and Marchesi di Barolo from Piedmont. These two producers have received numerous "90+" reviews in magazines including the Wine Spectator along with international critical acclaim for their full range of wines. For more information about these and other top quality wine producers, please visit www.palmbayimports.com

December 19, 2004 1:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M.

Quarter Horse LLC d/b/aStew Leonard’s of Yonkers (Not affiliated with Stew Leonard's food chain)
One Stew Leonard’s Drive
Yonkers, NY 10710 914.375.4713

Meghan Flynn, Stew Leonard's, 203.750.6106 or 203.667.0241
mflynn@stewleonards.com