This just in from the Shameless Commerce division…

I just received this email tonight from Cole Williams, a gifted former Advanced Art student, who now attends college at VCU and I couldn’t have scripted a better marketing message…

He writes:

“…Anyway, the reason I am emailing you is to express my appreciation and admiration for your wonderful cookbook- The Blooming Platter. My aunt who lives in California is a vegetarian and a WONDERFUL cook whom I share many recipes and ideas with, and I decided to get her a copy of your cookbook for Christmas. It arrived and while flipping through it I fell in love and decided I needed a copy for myself! I have been doing an increasing amount of cooking in the past few years (especially lately- it’s the cheapest way to eat in college) and eat a largely plant-based diet. The recipes on TheBloomingPlatter.com and in your cookbook give me a lot of inspiration as they are very healthy (an important aspect, to me) and don’t compromise on flavor one bit. I’m especially fond of the Thai/Asian style dishes as well as anything with fall vegetables- I absolutely love winter squash. I thought I would like to let you know that your ideas are impacting young minds!”

Amazon has some great deals right now!

I like to think of this self-portrait as Cole contemplating the plant-based life: