As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved and lived with books. In the 1950's my dad, Louis Strymish, created the New England Mobile Book Fair®, an amazing 35,000 square foot independent bookstore offering discounts on new and remaindered books of every type. Dad was a visionary and a bookselling legend. His love of books left a big impression on me.
What’s the food connection? I’ve always enjoyed eating good food. As a young college grad I enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen with ethnic cuisines. I made my own Chinese food when making Chinese food at home was an exotic endeavor. Later I became passionate about bread-baking. Thirteen years ago, when I realized that one of the most important and beloved bread-baking books was out of print, Biscuit Books™ was born. Biscuit Books™ made its publishing debut by printing a new edition of that "OP" title: Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery. In the years that followed, Biscuit Books™ has released nine more titles--all much-loved but out-of-print classics.
So combining my culinary interests with the book business was a natural evolution. I'm still making new discoveries every day. My current culinary passions are scouting out excellent coffee for our Biscuit Brand Coffees™ and making ice cream with my kids!
But let me back up a bit. Here’s how Jessica’s Biscuit® came to be: twenty-seven years ago my friend Mark Landau and me were brainstorming in my living room. (Mark now works for HarperCollins Publishers.) We somehow came up with the idea of selling cookbooks by mail. We named the business Jessica’s Biscuit® after our two Golden Retrievers Jessica (my dog) and Biscuit (Mark’s). Dogs are another passion--but I digress... Jessica's Biscuit®/ecookbooks.com, now offers 14,000 cookbooks, coffee, and more, by mail and online.
As the culinary world grows and changes, as we anticipate new and exciting cookbook finds, and as my own personal likes and dislikes come to the fore, I will be in touch.
--Dave
