Local Bookshop Indulges Sweet Tooth

On Sunday, two of my favorite things came together in one place.

hosted Cheryl and Griffith Day of Savannah, Georgia. Cheryl and Griffith are the owners of Back in the Day Bakery. From overheard conversations, apparently if you've been to Savannah, you know about this bakery.

It was featured in The New York Times. Cheryl and Griffith celebrated the 10th anniversary of the bakery by releasing their first cookbook: The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.

I have a secret obsession with cookbooks. Not because I cook that often, but because I love food almost as much as I love books. Put the two together and it is almost irresistible to me.

My favorite cookbooks are the ones which contain beautiful photographs of the food. If I'm going to cook I want to know what it will look like when I'm finished. I learned on my mission trips that presentation of food is important to me. Nothing tickles me more when I can make my dish look close to the picture in the book. Flipping through Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook revealed large, sometimes full page, colorful pictures along side the recipes.

Baking really is not my thing. My mother is a wonderful baker and my attempts have failed in comparison so I am not a good judge of the recipes. However, local bakery Ike & Jane Cafe & Bakery baked up a few treats from the cookbook. I tried the lavender cookie and it was quite good.

The Back in the Day Bakery's website describes the cookbook as "a fabulously fun book filled with customers' favorite recipes and all the charm of their friendly Southern bakery."

I can tell you, Cheryl and Griffith are charming. I felt like I should have been sitting on a front porch, sipping lemonade as they regaled us with tales of bakery life. On The Back in the Day Bakery website is the cutest video with Cheryl and Griffith talking about the book. Go watch!

If you like cookbooks because you cook, or if like me just love food, you should pick up a copy. Avid Bookshop has it in stock and even a few of them are signed.

If you haven't visited our local independent bookstore on Prince Avenue, you are missing out. The beautiful historical building is the perfect setting for a neighborhood book shop. The staff are friendly and helpful.

It has a feel to it that is often missing in the larger chain stores. And if you have kids, it has a wonderful reading corner. You can find many of the popular mainstream titles as well as shelves devoted to local Athens authors. Avid Bookshop is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 8 pm, and Sundays, 11 am to 6 pm.

The Back in the Day Bakery Cook book by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day

March 6, 2012 from Artisan

Hardcover, 272 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1579654580

List Price: $24.95