PEACE, BUTTER & JELLY: Tales of Nourishment is a foodspirational journey through family stories of Russia, India, New Jersey, Santo Domingo, Boston and the Carolinas, plus coveted recipes and a cupboard full of poems for dessert. This book will entertain, inform and uplift you. You'll learn how to live your life well and how to nourish yourself, family and friends with three daily practices: meditation, happy eating and creative expression, especially the written word. The book is like a delicious meal, replete with delectable surprises, and leaves you fuller than when you started. Written by Boston's first Personal Chef, this memoir is no less than an honest sharing of a modern spiritual journey. By the time you finish this book, you realize that you were invited to dinner with great love and what was shared were recipes of the heart. Peace, Butter & Jelly, welcome to the world of creative non-fiction! Tony Abbott, Pulitzer Prize nominee, writes: "David Mark Seidel's PEACE, BUTTER, and JELLY is a remarkably original and engaging book."Peace," as I understand it, refers to the peace which comes from meditation, which has totally changed David Mark Seidel's life. "Butter" stands for food, for the wonderful recipes which make up the middle of the book, and which every food lover will covet. And "Jelly" stands for the wonder and joy of poetry, which makes up the last part of the book. Never have I seen these three things together before. It's a rare achievement to put together the nourishment of meditation, food, philosophy and poetry, but David Mark Seidel has made his own sandwich and made it well." "David Mark Seidel is a one of a kind original. Whether through his delightfully whimsical and time stopping poems, his tasty recipes, or his allegorical stories--life is all performance art to him, bubbling up into manifestation from deep within his meditative soul. And PEACE, BUTTER, & JELLY is but a first taste of that boundless, creative vision." Peter Reinhart, author, American Pie, My Search for the Perfect Pizza "David Mark Seidel has crafted a book that reorients us with, as he writes in his Tales of Nourishment, "the magnificence of our existence." Using culinary terms as metaphors for life-ingredients and life-experiences, he weaves through autobiographical musings, recipes, and lyrical poems, touching repeatedly on the sacredness of familial and cultural legacies, his conviction that he is both carrying a torch for his ancestors and offering a torch to his son. Accessible, whimsical, and insightful, Seidel's work invites us to ponder our chosen and inherited roles, how we relate to others, and, ultimately, how we stay connected to the divine source of life and love itself. PEACE, BUTTER & JELLY is a poignant and refreshing book, a timely and timeless offering indeed." John Amen, author of At the Threshold of Alchemy; editor of The Pedestal Magazine "PEACE, BUTTER & JELLY: Tales of Nourishment is a gem with many facets. You have been invited to share food with the family of a masterful cook. In a profound and subtle way, author David Mark Seidel unveils the secret ingredient behind every successful recipe as he experienced it, as it nurtured and transformed him." Roman Oleh Yaworsky, Author, Being Centered "Reading Peace, Butter & Jelly is like having an easy and pleasant conversation with your own self, allowing you to reconnect to times of pure being. Gratitude reveals itself in between each line and it is contagious! David's heart pours out through every word, every line, every breath which I could feel him taking. A spiritual romantic's look at his own life through light yet deeply profound humor based on sweet gratefulness." Susana Sorí Artist, Writer and Healer "We applaud the work David is doing. Peace Butter & Jelly will be a welcome addition to any food / family loving enthusiast's library. Very nice." Gary Torres Food For Life Baking Co., Inc. Makers of Ezekiel 4:9 product
About the Author: David Mark Seidel is a writer, teacher, professional chef, and successful entrepreneur with several small businesses. David trained at Restaurant Maison Robert in Boston, Massachusetts and founded the first personal chef service in that city, Boston's Renaissance Restaurant Man. David created the first natural foods restaurant in the Dominican Republic, the Magic Kitchen, and later the Magic Kitchen Cooking School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also founded Casa Naima, the premier tour operation on the Dominican Republic north coast. His I.D.S. Wellness Program (Invocation, Dedication, Service) reduces health care costs by teaching individuals to maintain optimum health and reduce risk of chronic disease. A graduate of Rutgers University and trained by masters of ancient Yoga traditions, David has been a teacher of the Humanities, Culinary Arts, Yoga and Meditation for over 28 years. He has appeared on NBC-TV as a guest chef. David also taught in over 60 cities in North and South America, as well as in India, and the Caribbean. He has lectured at Queens University of Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Davidson College, Central Piedmont Community College and Gardner-Webb University. David lives in Charlotte with his wife of more than 32 years, Jeanette, and his son, Jonathan.