another book I wish I'd written (even if it is sort of a rip off of Cooking For Mr Latte)

(Interview from http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/Fashion/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=327325&itype=8487)

Cooked on a Feeling
Club Monaco's new project

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

(NEW YORK) Last year, the industry heard rumbles of Club Monaco’s new plan—to become a lifestyle and not just a label. Rumors flew of a beauty line, a magazine, a hotel like Club Med, but nothing happened. Then last week, the changes began, as Club Monaco moved out of the studio—and into the kitchen.

This month, the brand gets behind Spooning, a combination novel and cookbook that name drops designers and gives casserole recipes on the same page. On the eve of Club Monaco’s party for the book, The Daily sat down with its authors, Darri Stephens and Megan DeSales, to discuss their wardrobes—and their big plans.

Club Monaco is throwing your book launch, but did they sponsor your actual book?
Megan: No, and we actually didn’t mention Club Monaco in our book at all! We mentioned a few other designers, like Diane Von Furstenberg, but Club Monaco reached out to us about the project. We thought it was a perfect match as a brand.

But your book isn’t about girls who want to become brands.
Megan: No, our characters in the book are really young, like 23 or 24, and they hear from their moms that you need to find the perfect recipe to find the perfect guy. Meanwhile, they’re trying to find cool clothes and find their way in New York.

Is it based on you?
Darri: Totally! I used to work for Martha Stewart, so the concept of expanding past your kitchen and turning it into a brand—I get that part. I was a field producer but the environment really taught me a lot about how to build yourself—the different studios mimicked the kitchens in her homes and she had duck faucets on all of the sinks…it was really like another world.

Megan, your other job is producing segments on MTV. Was your book written to be adapted for a show, Candace Bushnell-style?
Megan: All of the stories are episodic, so we did think of it as a TV show. The funny thing is, coming from TV, we tried to keep everything evergreen—no brand names—because that’s what you’re taught to do in the industry. We literally went through chapter by chapter and took out references!

But despite the potential for the book to become a Sex and the City kind of thing, it’s really based on your lives.
Megan: Yes! One night when we’d just moved to New York, Darri’s mom called and told her, “You’re not going to meet a guy unless you know how to cook.” Everyone laughed, but we got it, and we started this cooking club to meet guys. I know—we thought it was so funny, we wrote a book about it.
FARAN KRENTCIL