Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Wondering why I’ve been absent from this little corner of the Internet these past few days? It’s ‘cause this weekend marked the kick-off of my January book tour to promote Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans—and I’ve been way too freaked out to be productive.

That’s not to say I haven’t had a blast.

First up was a rollicking gig with my buddies Melissa Joulwan and Diana Rodgers on Thursday night at CrossFit Palo Alto, where we answered questions from a packed house…

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

…signed copies of our books, and got an opportunity to crack wise with many of you.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Then, bright and early yesterday, with the invaluable assistance of Diana and our superstar pal Julie Mayfield, we hand-packed a couple hundred swag bags and headed for the city. With less than two hours before guests were set to arrive at The Box SF, we scurried around the venue to get it ready for our official book launch party.

But to be honest, the space needed almost no sprucing up at all. It’s simple and gorgeous, and our only real additions were a couple of tablecloths and banners, a place for the lovely folks from Books Inc. to sell copies of our cookbook…

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

…a special Nom Nom Coffee Bar (courtesy of Four Barrel Coffee and Highwire Coffee)…

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

…a kombucha stand (serving up amazingly delicious booch on tap!) by Revive Drinks…

image

…and a photo booth by Photo-matica (sponsored by, well, me and Henry!) that would crank out endless shots of our guests.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Plus, with a menu of delectable brunch bites by Zenbelly’s Simone Shifnadel

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

…I knew the food situation was in good hands.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Here’s a taste of what Simone and her fantabulous staff served:

  • sausage stuffed mushrooms
  • kale and caramelized onion frittata bites
  • “cream cheese” and lox  | “everything” cracker and pickled radish
  • bacon & avocado bites | sweet potato chip
  • chocolate cake bites | chocolate frosting, raspberry coulis

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

We were also lucky enough to have many of our ingredients provided by Whole Foods Market and a number of my hands-down favorite local producers that partner with Good Eggs, including:

And our friends at U.S. Wellness Meats provided the bacon!

As the kitchen got ready, partygoers started arriving…

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

…until the venue was packed with warm bodies and smiling faces…

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

…both familiar…

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

…and new.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Over the years, I’ve often wondered (out loud, which tends to annoy Henry, but oh well): Who in their right mind actually bothers to read my rambling thoughts on this blog? Penning these posts—and a cookbook, too—is, for the most part, a solitary exercise, so it can be difficult to wrap my mind around having actual flesh-and-blood readers out there; after all, when I began blogging, I had a grand total of one reader: this guy.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

It was amazing to be surrounded by so many of our friends, family members, mentors (like Tori Ritchie and Elise Bauer), and supporters—all to help celebrate the publication of our book.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

After raffling off a number of prizes (from Hamilton Beach, Andrews McMeel Publishing, GIR, and others) and handing out swag bags (with loot from the always-incredible LunchBots, Red Boat Fish Sauce, and Pure Indian Foods—not to mention a Nom Nom Paleo action figure, socks, and a magnet!)…

image

…we plopped ourselves at the end of a table to sign books and toys.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

I’m a bit of an introvert, and can sometimes (okay, often) wilt in social situations, but I absolutely loved getting to meet each and every person at our party. Henry and I are forever grateful to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to come to San Francisco for our party, and to share with us your stories and successes. And to our friends who traveled long distances across counties(!), the state(!!) or the country(!!!) to support us at our book launch: (1) words can’t describe how much we love and appreciate you, and (2) holy moly, you’re bananas. (But thank you.)

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

From the very beginning, the best part of this process has been getting the entire family involved. I’m thrilled that we got to take every step together, and to celebrate the release of the book with some of our favorite people: you.

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

Food for Humans Book Tour: Bay Area Launch by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com

It just wouldn’t have been the same without you.

I hope to meet even more of you on the rest of my book tour! You coming?

[UPDATED: If you posed in the photo booth at our party and want to see/download/share the pics, check ’em out here! Also, George Bryant created this awesome video about our party that you can watch here!]


Looking for recipes? Head on over to my Recipe Index! You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPad® app, and in my new cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel 2013).

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

Other Recipes You May Like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *