Later today I’ll be sharing my review of the recently released Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan. It’s a beautiful memoir that reveals the power of the things we leave behind, in Donia’s case those things happen to be the recipes and food her mother left for her to discover that eventually inspire her to greatness. Before my review though I have the opportunity of sharing a giveaway courtesy of the publisher, Algonquin Books, and TLC Book Tours. Thank you!

Three Chick Lit Reviews readers will win the giveaway that will close on Sunday the 23rd of October. This one is open to US and Canadian residents with only one entry per household allowed. I’ll be sharing my review this afternoon, so make sure not to miss it but until then, good luck!

For Donia Bijan’s family, food has been the language they use to tell their stories and to communicate their love. In 1978, when the Islamic revolution in Iran threatened their safety, they fled to California’s Bay Area, where the familiar flavors of Bijan’s mother’s cooking formed a bridge to the life they left behind. Now, through the prism of food, award-winning chef Donia Bijan unwinds her own story, finding that at the heart of it all is her mother, whose love and support enabled Bijan to realize her dreams.

From the Persian world of her youth to the American life she embraced as a teenager to her years at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (studying under the infamous Madame Brassart) to apprenticeships in France’s three-star kitchens and finally back to San Francisco, where she opened her own celebrated bistro, Bijan evokes a vibrant kaleidoscope of cultures and cuisines. And she shares thirty inspired recipes from her childhood (Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant and Orange Cardamom Cookies), her French training (Ratatouille with Black Olives and Fried Bread and Purple Plum Skillet Tart), and her cooking career (Roast Duck Legs with Dates and Warm Lentil Salad and Rose Petal Ice Cream).

An exhilarating, heartfelt memoir, Maman’s Homesick Pie is also a reminder of the women who encourage us to shine.