Last night Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX hosted Ree Drummond for the signing of her new cookbook Come and Get It! and boy did people fill the bookstore to come and get it. I say “people” because it wasn’t just women looking to add to their cookbook collection, it was men, women, young and old. There were aspiring cooks getting their own copy of a cookbook at the age of 7, great grandmothers, college students and three generations of a family coming to meet one of the nicest people on earth. Some were replacing cooks books lost in the recent floods from Hurricane Harvey and some were looking for a moment with a Food Network TV star. One young mother brought her two children who held on to pillows with their father’s image screenshot on the front to comfort them while he is away serving our country in the military. Yes, that caused a few of us to fan away a few tears including Ree.
Ree Drummond is a savvy business woman and entrepreneur with her own TV cooking show, her store The Mercantile, restaurant, cooking and bedding line at Walmart and is set to open a hotel very soon. I say this to point out the fact that she started this epic journey by simply blogging about her life with her husband “The Marlboro Man”, her children, extended family, ranch hands and pets. It makes you think about what could happen when you follow your passion in life.
We feel like we know her because of her openness to share. She is genuine, real and makes everyone she meets feel like they are the most important person in the world if only for the few moments you can get in an author signing line of this magnitude. She signed for about four hours straight and never lost her poise. I have to say that her husband showed up in the bookstore after the signing started and he began signing books and taking pictures those attending. They both stayed until every last book was signed and every person got their moment. I will be a fan for life!
Some things I picked up while I was helping out with the book signing:
- Ree recommends the bean and bacon soup from her new cookbook Come and Get It.
- She loves floral tops and will compliment you on it if you have one on.
- She stands by the premise that a messy cookbook is the best kind.
- Lad Drummond can stand for four hours and sign books without a stool (we offered him one many times).
- A good steak and potatoes is his favorite meal.
- Ree loves a good room service meal where she can hang out in her yoga pants.
- Last but not least, you get the “real deal” when you meet a Drummond. True, steady, friendly and gracious. It was truly a pleasure to spend a few hours in their company.
livingabookedlife.com 