Chef Chat

For Jen Lancaster, no job led to lots of cooking

Known for witty chick-lit fiction and memoir writing, Jen Lancaster has gone from laid-off executive gone broke to New York Times bestselling author.

Being put out of her job shortly after 9-11 also meant she had to become a better cook, or at least attempt to cook at home. She thought she'd hit the pinnacle of her abilities with Costco pork chops slathered in bottled barbecue sauce.

Then last year, her beloved dog was sick. She needed something to keep her mind busy. She needed a project. Enter Martha Stewart, goddess of domesticity.

Taking on the challenges of her less-than-perfect life, Lancaster spent an entire year cooking, cleaning and creating by following the dictates of Martha Stewart. The most personal of her works yet, this humorous experiment with perfection culminates in her ninth book, "The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING, or Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off the Dog" ($25.95, NAL), which arrives in stores this week.

Her 10th book, a novel about sibling rivalry entitled "Twisted Sisters," comes out next March. Lancaster, 45, lives in Lake Forest, Ill., with her husband, Fletch, and their three dogs and five cats.

Lancaster comes to Wauwatosa for a book signing 7 p.m. June 21 at Barnes and Noble, 2500 N. Mayfair Road. A Barnes and Noble receipt for "The Tao of Martha" is required to enter the signing line. Seating will be limited and will be available after 4 p.m.

Find her summer reading picks and blog at

Q.How did you get started writing?

A. Writing is something that I've always loved. That stems from my love of being a reader. I probably read on average 200 books a year. Have been doing that for the last 38 to 40 years, and I'm 45 now. I wanted to study journalism. My father, with his Boston accent, said, "Jennifer, you're going to make $17,000 a year and you're not going to like it." So I changed my major to political science....

Writing was something I always liked, but it wasn't a career until I was laid off from my executive position in my 30s. I started a website because I was bored, unemployed and angry. It attracted an audience, which was as surprising to me as everyone else.... Every single day I wrote something. I spent nine months, every day, writing at least 2,000 words.

Q.Now you've written nine books in less than a decade?

A. It actually worked out. When I was ready for people to start discovering my stuff, I took my best articles and published them on Craigslist. I didn't do that on Chicago Craigslist, but on the New York one, thinking that someone would read it. They did. Literary agents came to me. I never had to query. When I sold my first book, I got $17,000 — exactly what my father predicted.

The reason I chose memoir writing is largely because of this author who is now my friend, Laurie Notaro. I was bored and laid off, I had never really read memoirs before. I was too into chick lit. I read her book. All she does is get drunk, fall down and write about it. You can write a book about that? I suddenly think, I have a book in me.

Q.You've made a career of having a sense of humor about life's foibles, being candid about your own failures. How does Martha Stewart enter the picture?

A. Martha doesn't fail. That's what is so interesting about her. Everything is planned so beautifully, except for the whole prison thing. That's what makes me like her.

I didn't like her for years, but then she went to prison and showed her character. She was making friends. She was making ponchos. When she came out it would've been easy for her to just fade out of the limelight. There was no reason for her to come back out and be Martha Stewart. That was spectacular. That really changed my mind about her.

I wasn't much of a homemaker. But the first time I made her recipe for buttercream frosting, it was life-changing. I didn't know this was something you could do at home. I thought this was something I had to go to the store and buy. I started watching her show, checking in on her website. She was definitely in my peripheral vision.

Q.How did the book come about?

A. This whole book came about from Bolognese sauce. The recipe is written on paper and I've made a zillion notes on it. I can't make it without the notes. I spent four hours tearing apart the house looking for this recipe.

Turns out it was in the kitchen gun cabinet. It ended up in the kitchen gun cabinet because my alma mater was coming to take pictures for an article. I ended up stashing things in the gun cabinet. My house only looked clean.

My husband turned to me and said, "Do you think Martha Stewart would stash her recipes in a gun cabinet?" He would always use her when I'd do something anti-domestic.

I'm starting at zero here. The whole idea of being organized and being able to entertain and cook for people without it making me crazy or panicky was appealing.

Q.Wisconsin's Elegant Farmer gets a mention in your book for their pies?

A. Apple pie in a bag. It's the best pie ever made. The caramel apple pie is almost too much. They sell it in our grocery store. I haven't tried any of their other stuff.

Q.What were your guidelines for the year?

A. I wanted to come up with some kind of "Happiness Project." I'd read Gretchen Rubin. I need something more tangible. A year of living by Martha's dictates. That made sense.

The reason I wanted to stockpile happiness, I knew I was going to lose my dog. She had mast cell tumors. I wanted to have something I could put my energy into instead of worrying about my dog.

Q.What's the first step in the Tao of Martha?

A. The first step and the most important lesson in this entire book is to not be afraid to try. Not everything is going to work. I had plenty of failures along the way.

Q.What's your favorite kitchen tool?

A. My Staub braising pan. It weighs 8,000 pounds, and I barely have the strength to lift into the top part of the double oven, but there is nothing in the world it can't make taste fantastic. I'd love to say Vitamix, everyone says it is life-changing, but I'm too cheap. There's $500 worth of a lot of other stuff I'd prefer.

Q.Lets talk about cooking. How did you first get into the kitchen?

A. I've always been able to cook Italian food. That's in my blood because I'm half Sicilian. Once I was unemployed and didn't have money, you can't just go to dinner. The onus is on you to learn to cook.... I learned how important the right equipment is. The second greatest thing in my kitchen is my cast-iron skillet. It is a great way to save money, cooking for yourself.

Q.Anything you would never write about?

A. I don't write about anything naked. You're never going to see a "Fifty Shades of Jen" book from me. My last five books have been New York Times bestsellers. You will never, ever see a sex scene from me. I am so modest. You'd think that with the way I use profanity that would not be an issue, but apparently it is.

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