In her memoir - Out of Line: A Life of Playing with Fire - Barbara Lynch highlights the remarkable process of self-invention while sharing tales of the colorful characters of the food world. Her coming of age in South Boston surrounded by gangs and poverty enabled her to bluff her way into professional cooking jobs. The rest, as they say, is history.

The James Beard Award-winning chef-owner of Barbara Lynch Gruppo which includes these restaurants - No. Nine Park, B & G Oyster, The Butcher Shop, Sportello, Plum, Drink, and Stir - three of which have helped to revitalize South Boston. Through her story, Lynch explores how the past can strengthen and expand who we are instead of allowing it to destroy us. 

Her first book Stir shares a 150 recipes - from Torn Pasta "Rags" with Spicy Clams to Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Taleggio - all dishes which garnered her national acclaim. Her style combines primarily Italian food seasoned with a New Englander's practicality and a dash of French technique for deepening flavor. The chef also offers ways to simplify dishes without sacrificing flavor. If you don't have Stir, it can be purchased for a song right now - click the BUY BOOK link for more information.

Be sure to check out Barbara's list of events to see if she is in your area - I am going to try to attend her Wales & Johnson event in Denver this month.

We are pleased to offer three copies of Out of Line to our EYB Members in the US only. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post:

What recipe from the dozen in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won't be counted. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on June 10th, 2017.