High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine by Cinda Chavich (Fitzhenry & Whiteside/Fifth House) High plains is a book about the traditional and contemporary regional foods of western Canada. Alberta is a province with a landscape that encompasses both the prairies and the spectacular Rocky Mountains, with all of the food traditions that these natural places entail, from bison and wild game to indigenous mushrooms, berries and crops like wheat, barley and corn. The bounty of this landscape has spawned a unique brand of regional Canadian cuisine, a style of cooking inspired by both the Native people who lived here first, the earliest ethnic groups to settle the West, and the creative modern cooks inspired by seasonal and regional ingredients. With profiles of some of Alberta's top food producers and the sumptuous photography of award-winning photographer Mike Sturk, this book takes you on a culinary journey through the best of Western Canada. What the reviewers say: Cuisine Canada, an association of culinary professionals, gave High Plains its top cookbook awards in 2002 - naming it best English Language cookbook in Canada and awarding it the Canadian Food and Culture gold medal. It was the first cookbook to ever win both top awards.(http://www.cuisinecanada.ca/html/awards2002.html) High Plains was listed as one of the Globe and Mail's top 100 books of 2001, and Globe editor Cecily Ross calls it an "engaging book that contributes mightily to the growing culture of food in Canada." High Plains was recommended by national magazines like Canadian Living and Elm Street in their pre-Christmas book list. Judy Shultz, food editor at the Edmonton Journal, said "High Plains is a joy to read and, as any great cookbook should, the recipes in this one sent me straight to the kitchen." more reviews (http://www.fitzhenry.ca/r1894004647.htm) (http://www.canadianliving.com/food/content/books/sept01.asp) (http://www.discovercalgary.com/Features/BackPage/6-88484.html) (http://www.vancouver.cbc.ca/afternoonshow/bookreviews.html) About the author Cinda Chavich is an award-winning food and travel writer with more than twenty years experience. She is the author of two previous cookbooks, the bestselling Wild West Cookbook and the Best Pressure Cooker Recipes (Robert Rose Inc.) and one of a group of Calgary women chefs and cooks featured in Dishing: Calgary Women Cook and Double Dishing (Whitecap Books). Cinda's work has been published in a wide variety of local and national newspapers and magazines including The Globe and Mail, Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Avenue, Wine Access, Cooking Light, The Wine Spectator and she is a weekly food commentator for CBC radio. Click here to buy High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine