Real Big Turn Out For 'Real Housewife' Book Signing

Bravo TV's Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice held a signing for her new recipe book, Skinny Italian, at "Flowers By Candle-Lite" in Denville on August 12.

An estimated 300 people lined up outside the shop for a chance to meet the Towaco resident, whose book has climbed the New York Times bestseller list since its release in May.

"It was amazing," Giudice said of the event. "A great turnout. I love 'Flowers By Candle Lite.'"

George Johnson, owner of Flowers By Candle-Lite, said he was very happily surprised at the turn-out of the second book signing he's held in the past few months.

"We had a very small one about a month ago, a local lady who does poetry had a book singing, but it was nothing like this," he said.

 Johnson said his son, Todd, manager of the shop, came up with the idea to bring Teresa to the store as some much-needed exposure.

"She did it uptown, in another store, and they said how easy she is to work with and what a pleasant person she is," Johnson said. "And she is, she's an absolute sweetheart."

Todd, like many of the other men in attendance, said he got hooked on "Real Housewives" because of his wife.

"Monday nights, all I'm allowed to do is watch the TV," he said.

Attendees seemed undeterred by the wait to meet Teresa, and very excited about getting very books signed.

"I'm a fan of the show and I'm a fan of Italian cooking," Annette Czeterko, a school administrator from Rockaway Township said. "The recipes are wonderful. She's right that it's true Italian cooking and not the stuff from Olive Garden."

While some were enthusiastic about the book, others had no plans to read it.

"I'm just here to see Teresa," Taylor LaTorre, an eighth-grader at Valley View Middle School said. "I think she's really nice and pretty."

Pattie Kolbe, a homemaker from Denville, said she loved the book because of the personalized touches.

"It was easy to read," she said. "All the ingredients I have in my house, and I love how she put all the personal pictures in there. The layout is beautiful."

Her husband, Bill, a market development specialist, also loves the show.

"I really like the family element," he said. "You have families that are younger, like Teresa's, and then Caroline's kids are older…The chemistry's just perfect for everybody."

Mary Anne Grande won't even DVR the show, because she has to watch it when it airs.

"I live for Monday nights," she said.