Bestselling Author Visits Towson Branch Library

From the Baltimore County Public Library: Ian Purkayastha, author of New York Times bestselling book TRUFFLE BOY: My Unexpected Journey through the Exotic Food Underground, will appear at the Towson Branch Library on Sunday, April 9 at 2 p.m. New York City’s leading truffle importer will discuss his experiences in the exotic food world, starting and running his successful business – Regalis Foods – and his recently released book.

TRUFFLE BOY: My Unexpected Journey through the Exotic Food Underground¸ which was released in February 2017, details the hidden underbelly of the elite restaurant scene. The book chronicles Ian’s high-stakes dealings with a truffle kingpin in Serbia, meth-head foragers in Oregon, crooked businessmen and maniacal chefs in Manhattan, gypsy truffle hunters in the forests of Hungary, and a supreme adventure to find “Gucci mushrooms” in the Himalayan foothills. He endures harsh failures along the way but rebuilds with tremendous success by selling not just truffles but also caviar, wild mushrooms, rare foraged edibles, Wagyu beef, and other nearly unobtainable ingredients demanded by his Michelin-starred clients.

Today, at age 24, Ian supplies about 80 percent of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Manhattan and works with over 200 of North America’s finest chefs.

Photo courtesy of the Baltimore County Public Library