1:16 p.m., March 30, 2010----Although the term culinary “terroir” may sound pretentious to some, Roger and Ella Morris, authors of the new book Brandywine Book of Food, explained to guests on Thursday, March 25, at the Darden Bistro of the Vita Nova restaurant in the Trabant University Center that the term is a special way of describing regions, such as that of the Brandywine River, which winds its way through Pennsylvania and Delaware.

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Terroir is a term used to designate a special place to grow grapes and make wines, and each region has its own culinary terroir, that special mixture of the ethnic heritages of the people who settled it, its soil and its climate that nurture the foods grown there, and its visionary chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, winegrowers and food merchants who bring everything together for the consumer.

“We wanted to profile the Brandywine Valley as a culinary terroir to highlight the influences and movements of people in the area, local chefs and what grows here,” said Roger Morris. “For those of you from the area, the book includes a broader range than what may actually be considered to be the Brandywine Valley, but we wanted to include restaurants like the Fair Hill Inn (in Maryland) because they are doing such great things.

“So we took some artistic license, but it remains the spirit of the Brandywine.”

The book, which highlights the chefs, winemakers, produce farmers and food artisans who give such culinary richness to the Brandywine, contains many treasures for the lover of food, wine and travel.

It features 75 recipes, some simple, some challenging, from some of the best chefs in the region.

“These recipes are from 23 local chefs and although the recipes may not be unique to the area, the chefs and their stories are unique as are the local foods that many of them use,” said Roger Morris.

The book also features more than 180 color photographs of the landscape, the dishes that go with the recipes and the people who produce them, and 160 pages of stories about the more than three centuries of cultural heritage of the region.

“The photography was a way of embellishing the beautiful dishes that the chefs were preparing, and the goal was to give an overall feeling of the Brandywine Valley and how diverse it truly is,” said Ella Morris.

According to Roger Morris, the book lends itself as a guidebook due to the layout and photography.

“Essentially, there are three sections: Ella's photography, recipes from local chefs and stories about the people of the Brandywine valley. People will use it as a guidebook -- they go to the featured restaurants and ask the chef to sign the recipe page or a photo. That also makes the book a great keepsake,” he said.

“The book is also designed to stay open when laid flat, so the cook at home can easily follow the recipe pages,” added Ella Morris.

Roger and Ella Morris concluded their talk by taking questions from guests and remained in the Darden Bistro to sign copies of their book.

Roger Morris has written about food, wine and travel for about 40 years, including two books about wine. Currently, he contributes to many regional and international magazines, newspapers and online sites, including Saveur, Robb Report, epicurious.com, Sante, The Hunt, Signature Brandywine and The News Journal.

Ella Morris is a former business executive who now concentrates on painting and photography. She is manager of the Galleria at Va La Vineyards, and her photography has been published in many magazines, including USAirways Magazine, Intermezzo, Beverage Media, Wine Enthusiast, Drinks and The Hunt.

For further information about the authors and how to purchase a copy of the book, view the Brandywine Book of Food blog.

Article by Kathryn Marrone