NOTES BANANA - Softcover

FINALIST FOR THE NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD

Born into a devoutly Catholic, food-crazed family of Azorean immigrants in 1960s Fall River, Massachusetts, David Leite had a childhood that was the stuff of sitcoms. But what no one knew was that this smart-mouthed, wise-ass dreamer also struggled with the frightening mood swings of undiagnosed bipolar disorder. To cope, “Banana,” as his mother endearingly called him, found relief and comfort in food, watching reruns of Julia Child, and later, as an adult, cooking for others. It was only in his mid-thirties that he finally uncovered the truth about himself, received proper medical treatment, and began healing.

David takes readers along on the exhilarating highs and shattering lows of his life, with his trademark wit and humor: We watch as he walks away from his Portuguese heritage in favor of blond-haired, blue-eyed WASPdom; pursues stardom with a near-pathological relentlessness; gets caught in the revolving closet door of his sexuality as he struggles to come out (three times!); delights in his twenty-five year relationship with Alan (known to millions of David’s readers as “The One”); and shares the people, dishes, and events that shaped him.

David Leite is a food writer, cookbook author, and web publisher. He founded Leite’s Culinaria (leitesculinaria.com) in 1999. In 2006, he had the distinction of being the first winner of a James Beard Award for a website, a feat he repeated in 2007. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Pastry, Men’s Health, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications. His first book, The New Portuguese Table, explored the food of his heritage and won the IACP’s 2010 First Book: Julia Child Award. David is also a frequent correspondent and guest host on public radio’s The Splendid Table. He has been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered and has appeared on United Stuff of America, Beat Bobby Flay, and the Today show. When no one is looking, he still dances in his underwear in the kitchen.