READER Reviews - POPULAR NARRATIVE COOKBOOK

 What  happens when a devoted daughter begins to revive her famous-baker-dad’s  recipes, and instead uncovers a hidden family history? 

In this case, a  narrative cookbook—about people. Marcy Brenner’s devotion to her dad,  Max, is evident from the first line to the last, but her journey of  discovery goes back in time, to long before she tasted her first  Chocolate Top Cookie. As she teaches herself to bake like a pro—by  decoding Max’s cryptic, commercial recipe cards—she follows the story of  generations of bakers who used love as their primary ingredient. 

Meanwhile, she delivers the goods for generations of Brenner’s Bakery  fans who have been waiting for years for “kitchen-sized” recipes that  would make their favorites come back to life. In the process of sharing  her discoveries, Marcy forever marries breads and sweets to her family  members who craved them. Her chapters have names like “Miss Charlotte,”  and “Sisters.” The narrative format also intermingles dozens of recipes  with moving stories of Marcy’s parents’ deep Southern humanity, her  grandparents’ struggles—and a Jewish ancestry buried by fear. 

 With  unflinching empathy, she embraces the hope and loss that brought her  Polish ancestors to America, and which connect her to a past she sensed,  but never knew. She wonders aloud whether baking is in her genes,  whether she’ll be able to pull off this experiment, and whether the  cakes and cookies and croissants, doughnuts, breads, Boston Cream Pies,  and macaroons will turn out. Maybe because true love never dies, they  do. 

 Sometimes  librarians, publishers and booksellers don’t get it exactly right when  they categorize and catalog books. A Baker’s Daughter: Recipes &  Memories from a Family Bakery by  Marcy Brenner & Kristin Donnan is  listed as a cookbook and as a  memoir. I would like to suggest a third  category. It is a love story.  The love happens on many levels, the reciprocal love of a father and  his  daughter, a man’s love of his life’s work, a family’s love of each   other, a community’s love for that family and their bakery and finally   Marcy’s love creating oven magic. 

-- Grady Ormsby, music presenter, literary lover

Whenever  you needed a loaf of marble rye, a bagful of molasses cookies (my  favorite) or a birthday cake for someone special, you went to Brenner's  in Alexandria, Virginia. And it was easy to find excuses to stop there  for all the in-between times too. Part cookbook, part ode to her father Max, Marcy Brenner weaves love, joy and warm aromas into one satisfying volume. 

-- Susan Stuck, Food writer and former Alexandria resident 

Like an excellent cinnamon swirl, this memoir blends family history, loving memories and cherished original recipes - a delight for all of the senses.

 -- Karen Jones, broadcast journalist and author

In A Baker's Daughter Marcy Brenner recreates the world of her childhood--a world of love, work, and most of all, of delicious bakery treats. - Pat Garber, nature writer and poet

Buy A Baker's Daughter to get the Chocolate Top Cookie recipe. Read it to feed your soul. - Sara Bernstein, screenwriter

Converting  bakery-volume recipes for home cooks is no small feat, and  fans of  Brenner’s Bakery will undoubtedly love this book for enabling  them to recreate their favorites to enjoy at home. But the real treat of A Baker’s Daughter is the stories. Told with Marcy’s remarkable  clarity, wit, and introspection – in  beautiful lyrical language that  reflects her roots as a  singer-songwriter – these tales of the family  that made the bakery so  beloved are as delicious and pleasurable as any  of the sweet  indulgences the bakery offered.   

- Kati Wharton, Baking  & Pastry Arts student 

Marcy Brenner’s book tells the engaging and heartfelt story of an immigrant family making its way in the American century. Rich with photographs, first-hand accounts and recipes to die for, A Baker’s Daughter recalls a time before Starbucks and Big Box stores when family-owned  businesses served as places of comfort, community and continuity for  America’s burgeoning middle class. So grab a sweater, a cup of tea, and  Marcy Brenner’s book. At least for a while, life will be sweet again.

Leslie Siddeley, consultant and writer living in Alexandria, VA