Sneak Peek: Maman's Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan
San Francisco chef Donia Bijan’s mouthwatering memoir, Maman’s Homesick Pie, will be landing in bookstores in October. To pique your appetite, we have some advanced praise and an excerpt below.
In the Bijan family, food is the language used to tell stories. Donia Bijan’s story starts during the Iranian Revolution of the 1970s, when her family was forced to flee their home in Tehran. Cut off from everything and everyone they’d ever known, they began building a new life in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Donia’s mother found comfort in the foods of their homeland—dates, almonds, and oranges—which grew abundantly in California’s orchards. She experimented with American cooking, always incorporating familiar Persian flavors; as she fed her family, she created a home for them once more.
Award-winning chef Donia Bijan shares these memories and those of her colorful childhood in Iran, her teenage years in America, her studies at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and her life as a successful chef in San Francisco. No matter how far she traveled from home, it was her mother who helped her find her way.
Maman’s Homesick Pie includes thirty inspired recipes: Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant, Orange Cardamom Cookies, Ratatouille with Black Olives and Fried Bread, Purple Plum Skillet Tart, Roast Duck Legs with Dates and Warm Lentil Salad, and Rose Petal Ice Cream.
Advanced Praise for Maman’s Homesick Pie:
“A memoir both universal and intimate, anchored in history and lifted by the mysterious elements that only occur in a warm and inviting kitchen.” –Marsha Mehran, author of Pomegranate Soup
“I can feel the big heart in this story, the delicious recipes and the story of an amazing woman whom we all wish we had known.” –Firoozeh Dumas, author of Funny in Farsi
About the Author
Donia Bijan graduated from UC Berkeley and the Cordon Bleu. After presiding over a number of San Francisco’s acclaimed restaurants and earning awards for her French-inspired cuisine, she ran her own restaurant, L’Amie Donia, in Palo Alto for ten years.
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Overall Score
Reader Rating: 0 Votes
A wonderful chef and a very talented writer, Donia Bijan is truly an inspiration! We are all fortunate that she has chosen to share her family story and recipes in her debut book. I look forward to reading this heartfelt memoir, and to more books from Donia!
As a childhood friend of Donia’s, I can’t wait to read the rest of her story when the book comes out. She speaks for all of us who had to leave our homeland of iran and start over. Donia has an amazing sense of humor, and an enormous range of warmth that exudes from her tiny frame. Her ability to whip up amazing recipes is a true testament to how much love she spreads to those around her.
As a childhood friend of Donia’s, I can’t wait to read the rest of her story when the book comes out. She speaks for all of us who had to leave our homeland of iran and start over. Donia has an amazing sense of humor, and an enormous range of warmth that exudes from her tiny frame. Her ability to whip up amazing recipes is a true testament to how much love she spreads to those around her.
What a deliciously enticing sneak peek! Eagerly awaiting Donia’s first book.
What a deliciously enticing sneak peek! Eagerly awaiting Donia’s first book.