Annette Joseph, is a food stylist and interior design prop stylist and producer for local and national interior design magazines, she can sum up her passion very simply: “I love to shop! I am a collector of beautiful decorative objects and I love sourcing unique finds at flea markets and ‘secret’ warehouses, editing items in the cabinets and closets, and arranging a home to look beautiful and inviting.”
Being a gifted stylist and effortless-yet-elegant entertainer certainly runs through her veins. Annette parents hailed from Hungary, and like many immigrant kids, Annette hid her bag lunch everyday so not to be teased about the strange authentic lunches she ate. But being the child of immigrants gave Annette great insight into the European way of living, from eating to decorating. Her father was a master trained oil painter and gourmand cook who reveled in hosting home parties. With this, Annette learned to appreciate the beauty behind friend and family gatherings at an early age. “I grew up surrounded by the arts,” she remembers. “My family loved entertaining and had such zeal for life. My father, who had elegant taste and was a larger-than-life character, taught me how to use my ‘eye’ when it came to things like lighting and composition. My dad taught me how to cook and where to shop to find wonderful objects, and we shopped almost every weekend together—it was our special bond and became our shared passion.” It is a passion Annette carries with her until this day.
And then there was her maternal grandmother, who regularly hosted elaborate dinner parties for 20-40 friends at a time at her small European cottage. “My grandmother was a lover of life who was known for her meals and entertaining in her 5-by-5 kitchen,” she says. “Through the years, these experiences shaped my interests more and more. I think I strive to recreate these good times, these simple times, these fun times from my childhood memories every time I put on an event.”
Her first entertaining cookbook, “Picture Perfect Parties” was released in October 2014, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0847841030/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Annette shows readers how to ingeniously transform the ordinary into the extraordinary without spending a lot of money, and without sacrificing style. She shares her unique and practical approach to being a hostess by combining down-to-earth gusto with do-it-yourself brilliance for people who want to entertain more and with panache.
“I want people to feel that they have command over entertaining,” she says. “I can show them how simple it is to not to just throw a dinner party, but to sit down with their guests and enjoy the moment. It’s about being creative with what you have and having a passion for beauty. I’m lucky to have fallen into the world of prop styling where the obsession can—and has—paid off. And I can honestly say that everything in my life has led me right to this point.”
Cocktail Italiano, (Skyhorse Publications was released in 2018) https://www.amazon.com/Cocktail-Italiano-Definitive-Aperitivo-Nibbles/dp/1510729976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516138324&sr=8-1&keywords=cocktail+italiano
It is a part travelogue part cocktail book and recipe book featuring the cocktail ritual of Italy “aperitivo”. It was her ode to living on the Italian Riviera for 12 years. Since selling that property, she and her husband found a beautiful property in the Italian countryside, in northern Tuscany, named La Fortezza.
Currently Annette conducts women's retreats at La Fortezza retreats include slow food experiences, cooking lessons, shopping, at local flea markets and with her local purveyors. La Fortezza is a medieval fortress in northern Tuscany she and her husband painstakingly renovated for 3 years. http://annettejosephstyleworkshops.squarespace.com/ on 27 acres the property has a large kitchen garden, rose garden, and a vineyard.
Annette is a regular speaker for the Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Private Groups, and has been a featured speaker at High Point Furniture Market and the Dallas Merchandise Mart. Annette regularly works with major vendors like Vietri Ceramics, Westelm, Staples, Ballard Design, Mode Media, Home Depot, Epsorao Wine, Martini Italy, and Martin’s Gin, Mutti, and Minted creating party and entertaining, and food content for them. She's been featured on the Today Show and various other news outlets across the country.
Her 3rd book a memoir about her adventures in Italy, entitled, “Italy is my Boyfriend” (Spring 2020)
Her 4th book a book of stories about her retreats at La Fortezza “My Italian Guestbook” (Spring 2022)
Her most recent cookbook, "At the Table of La Fortezza", is the first cookbook published in the US about the region she lives in The Lunigiana, in Northern Tuscany. Recently she's launched a You Tube Channel devoted to the region and the regional recipes featured in her cookbook. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo-nbfsvsOO7BZwNNuqsQHw
When she’s not in the Italian countryside at La Fortezza teaching and cooking and tending to her vineyard. Annette resides in Atlanta and enjoys life with her husband, Frank and Vivian their mini dachshund.
Don't forget to check out her newest book her first work of fiction: The Killer Menu
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