Gabrielle Hamilton discusses more than just food in her memoir 'Blood, Bones and Butter'.

Anyone who’s been paying attention to the food industry over the past ten years will have noticed a remarkable change.

Fine dining is no longer just about starched white tablecloths and tiny portions of food-based sculpture. Instead, savvy consumers have gradually turned towards fresh local produce, traditional cooking techniques, and good old-fashioned comfort foods for their favorite dining experiences – the blood, bones and butter that make up the title of Gabrielle Hamilton‘s newly-released memoir.

Hamilton is the founder and owner of Prune, one of New York’s most loved restaurants, and also one of the most homely – their menu includes ratatouille sandwiches and the restaurant’s special ‘Youth Hostel Breakfast’. Freed from the pretentious stylings of many fine dining restaurants, Prune offers recipes designed to make you fall in love with food all over again, many of them drawn from Hamilton’s own childhood.

It’s little wonder that her memoir was hotly anticipated, but it may come as a surprise to those who slip between its covers. While Hamilton writes beautifully about her food experiences – especially the meals she grew up with, displaying the kind of simplicity that her restaurant has made its calling card – Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef isn’t just a food memoir. Gabrielle Hamilton has lived a remarkably colorful and varied life, and her book touches upon all her experiences, not just those that arrived on a plate.

In fact, those of you who were expecting a straightforward book about food may find yourselves shocked by Hamilton’s frankness and honesty. As she progresses from waitress, to writer, to restaurant owner, and back to writer again, she touches upon everything from her own youthful drug abuse to her difficult relationship with her mother, the source of many of her recipes. Food is never that far away, of course – but Blood, Bones & Butter at times reads more like a punk rock memoir than a chef’s autobiography.

Gabrielle Hamilton, author of 'Blood, Bones and Butter'.

Once the initial shock has faded away that works in its favor, as Blood, Bones & Butter avoids the indulgences and cliches of many similar food memoirs (we’re naming no names here…) and concentrates on the story instead. Gabrielle Hamilton has certainly lived a remarkable life, and her prose style is both witty and poetic – a rare combination in a modern memoirist. As she takes us from her eccentric upbringing, through her unlikely marriage to one of the regulars at her restaurant, to her emergence as one of the New York food scene’s leading lights, Hamilton is never less than candid.

Blood, Bones & Butter isn’t your average food book, and it isn’t your typical memoir either. Instead it explores the intricate relationship between the two, the ways in which life and food are intrinsically woven together – and introduces us to a truly original writer and chef in the process.

Gabrielle Hamilton will be appearing at Seattle’s The Walrus and The Carpenter on Monday March 7, 2011, as part of the Kim Ricketts Book Events Cooks & Books series. The dinner costs $85 per person (all food, wines, and a copy of the book are included). There aren’t many spaces left, so if you’re keen to attend the event call The Walrus and the Carpenter directly: 206-395-9227.

Hamilton will also read at the Elliott Bay Book Company on Monday March 7, at 12.15pm. The event should make for an unusual lunchtime treat, so be certain to get there early.

If you can’t wait that long to hear Gabrielle Hamilton read from Blood, Bones & Butter, take a listen to the clip from her audiobook below – I’m sure you’ll agree that her live events should be a truly memorable experience. The clip features Hamilton herself, talking about her decision to move out of the kitchen and go to grad school.

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We are also giving away two copies of the Blood, Bones & Butter audiobook to our readers. To get your hands on a copy of the audiobook, simply leave a comment at the end of this article, telling us your favorite comfort food from your childhood. Two winners will be chosen at random on Monday March 21, 2011, and will receive a free copy of the Blood, Bones & Butter audiobook courtesy of Random House. The giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

NOTE: The audiobook giveaway has now CLOSED. Winners will be notified shortly via email. Thanks for entering, and check out the Giveaways page for further competitions!

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef is available now from all good bookstores, and the Random House website, priced $26.