Spanish Food from an American Kitchen

With her new publication Button celebrates the broad appeal of Spanish cooking and shows readers how to recreate and adapt classical dishes in the home kitchen using seasonal local ingredients, sharing techniques and flavors learnt in the kitchens of both elBulli and her Southern grandmother.

Born in the US South, raised in the North, and educated in Europe, Button is considered one of the most talented and respected of a new generation of American chefs. One of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs in 2015 and a finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef Award in 2014, she changed a promissory scientific career for a culinary devotion that took her to work under the mentorship of José Andrés, in Washington, DC, and Ferran Adrià in Spain, prior to returning to her home state of North Carolina, where in association to her husband, Félix Meaña, and her parents, she opened Spanish tapas restaurant Cúrate in 2011, and later on Nightbell. Both José Andrés and Adrià wrote forewords for Button’s cookbook.

This cookbook, published by Flatiron Books, features 125 recipes celebrating the vibrant flavors and broad appeal of Spanish food. From cherished traditions like Tortilla Española, Croquetas, Brandada de Bacalao, Ensaladilla Rusa, and Chicken Paella to mouthwatering new favorites like Fried Eggplant with Honey and Rosemary, Meat Filled Pasta Rolls with Bechamel and Manchego, Ham and Cheese Stuffed Fried Pork Chops or Ribeye Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce, to celebratory drinks and desserts like The Perfect Gin and Tonic and Almond Cake with Cream Sherry and Brandy—the book brings the tasteful spirit of Spain closer to the reader.

Through the coobook’s recipes Button also seeks to represent the spirit and conviviality of Spanish cooking, as depicted inCúrate, and also an essential value of Spanish and Southern cuisines which bring families around the table while blanketing them with a richness of flavor and taste that promises to keep them there late into the night.

To promote the launching of the publication, a series of events has been planned including a launching party at Cúraterestaurant in Asheville, followed by cocktail parties, tasting dinners, cooking demonstrations, and book signings in New York City, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Washington, DC and various cities in North and South Carolina. Jaleo, El Quinto Pino, and Aldea are some of the restaurants where dining events are scheduled. Signature culinary spaces as DeGustibus at Macy’s, Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table will be some of the stages for the culinary demonstrations.

Additionally, a Wine and Culinary Tour of Spain Sweepstakes has been planned. Participants may enter for a chance to win a trip to Spain for two, as part of a small private wine & culinary excursion tour (14 other participants) with a custom itinerary created by Katie Button and Félix Meana to celebrate and experience the CÚRATE cookbook. Winners will travel to Barcelona, Cadaqués, and Roses, and thereafter to Sevilla, Jerez de la Frontera, and Cádiz. The itinerary seeks to blend food, wine, and cultural experiences.

The publication has so far received rave reviews from distinguished chefs and culinary professionals from Spain and the United States. It can be purchased online on Amazon, as well as in bookstores across the US.