SOL Cocina chef to debut first SOL-inspired cookbook

SOL Cocina Executive Chef Deborah SchneiderExecutive Chef Deborah Schneider will preview her first SOL-inspired cookbook, Amor y Tacos, (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) on Thursday, April 29 at SOL Cocina in Newport Beach. In celebration, SOL is hosting an evening full of little tastes and drinks from the book, along with random table drawings for signed book giveaways. Chef Deborah Schneider, who along with the book, was recently profiled in Food & Wine Magazine, will be on hand throughout the night to mingle with guests, discuss inspiration for her recipes and sign books.

Amor y Tacos gathers information from taco bars and roadside stalls in Baja and street-side trucks in Tijuana. The book shakes up and revamps traditional Mexican flavors, delivering fresh new ways "to do" Mexican. The recipes are quick and easy to make, and in addition to tacos, include antojitos (Mexico's "little bites" variation on tapas), salsas, tequila and mezcal-based cocktails, and the thirst-quenching fruit drinks known as agua frescas.

"This is a book I've always wanted to write," Schneider says. "It emphasizes the fun side of Mexican, and is fresh and innovative, just like SOL. I think it marks the next chapter of Mexican cooking."

The launch celebration will be held from 5:30-10 p.m. SOL Cocina is located at 251 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach (PCH and Bayside at Balboa Marina.) For more information, visit www.solcocina.com. For more information about Chef Deborah Schneider's cookbook, visit www.chefdebcooks.com.