Dinner with Georgia O’Keeffe: Assouline’s New Book by Robyn Lea

In 2011, while visiting the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center—once home to Jackson Pollock and his wife Lee Krasner in East Hampton, New York—Lea discovered a treasure trove of unpublished, handwritten recipes that belonged to the artist. The powerful connection between the artist’s art and his love for nature and cooking propelled her to create the first cookbook of its kind, which was published by Assouline in 2015. Just two years later, Lea released her second cookbook, this time dedicated to artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s flavorful fetes, and her home life in New Mexico.

At Mario Batali’s La Sirena in New York this past Monday, we celebrated the launch of Dinner with Georgia O’Keeffe with a culinary presentation inspired by recipes from the book, including bites prepared by the restaurant’s Michelin-starred Chef Anthony Sasso and cocktails by VDKA6100. It was a lovely exchange of creativity between the two rooms, with the front anchoring a large image of New Mexico (the perfect backdrop for photos with attendees like Timo Weiland, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Prosper and Alexandre Assouline) and an elegant table, decorate with flowers, cactuses, and towers of books at which Lea greeted guests and signed copies. Down the hallway, the second sprawling room welcomed attendees to a photo booth by Sharingbox, floral arrangements by Oscar Mora, elegant framed screens showing art and images from the book by Meural, and lively music by DJ Franco V.