One of our own at MoodyOn’theMarket.com has written a book! It’ll be unveiled at a reception later this month. Check out the details here…and perhaps we’ll see you at the ‘book release!
Twin Cities author Julee Laurent will host a reception releasing her second book ‘A Seat with the A-list’ on Friday January 27 in downtown St. Joseph. The book chronicles the time she worked for Wolfgang Puck at Spago restaurant in Los Angeles in the early 90’s.
“I had all these stories about working for one of the greatest chefs of our generation in a restaurant where there were famous people in our door every night,” says Julee. “I wanted them to live somewhere and give people a glimpse of what is was like to be in that environment.”
Stories in the book include celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielson, Johnny Carson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Donald Sutherland, Dodi Fayed and more.
It also gives an overview of what it was like to be under the constant pressure of working with high profile Hollywood clients while avoiding revealing press leaks and protecting celebrities from autograph seekers. Mostly, it is about working for one of the most groundbreaking chefs of our generation.
Julee fondly remembers those days.
“I learned so much at my time there about people and of course great food and wine. It showed me the pressure that celebrities are under and that in the end, their job makes the public want to have access to them, but they just want to have quiet moments at dinner like everyone else. Also, being around personalities that big gave me an interesting view about the different ways people react to celebrity, wealth and fame. It was an amazing learning experience.”
Julee Laurent is a mother of two that has spent the last twenty years as a freelance journalist. This is her second book. The first is a children’s book called ‘Lola and Lazlo’, a book that teaches children about collective nouns wrapped in a story of a little girl trying to find her lost puppy.
Julee has been published in Gannett Press Newpapers, Redbook, Marie Claire, Village Voice Media, Tribune News Papers, DiG Magazine, Censored Magazine, InReview and was a copywriter for Diesel Clothing and Coca-Cola. She currently writes locally as a contributing writer for MoodyOnTheMarket.com and owns her own marketing company called Think Tank Marketing.
For more information on how to order the book visit juleelaurent.com or find it on Amazon. Julee will have paperback copies of both her books available at the January event. Electronic versions can be bought on Amazon.
The January 27 book release reception at Waterfront House of Framing and Fashion they will also be set up for the St. Joe Today Chili Tour and will have four restaurants (Happy Poochie, Dad’s Farm, Souls Ground Cafe and Full Circle Cafe), with music by the band Second Story. The event runs from 5 to 8 pm.
