Food That Really Schmecks and More Food That Really Schmecks have been outstanding bestsellers, treasured by thousands of Canadians. When she finished writing those books, Edna Staebler had some recipes that hadn’t fit in the previous books, and readers kept sending her new ones. Soon she had more than 400 recipes – and another book. Schmecks Appeal is chock full of old standbys and wonderful new recipes for everything from coffee cakes to one-course meals. These recipes don’t use fancy ingredients; they are wholesome and straightforward, and they all really schmeck (taste good). As in the other books, Edna Staebler includes warm and witty stories on a variety of people and places. Read, cook, eat, enjoy – here’s a book with real schmecks appeal!

Edna Staebler who recently passed away in her 101st year was an award-winning journalist and a regular contributor to Maclean’s, Chatelaine, and many other magazines. She is the author of Cape Breton Harbour, Places I’ve Been and People I’ve Known and the Schmecks cookbook series. Must Write: Edna Staebler’s Diaries, edited by Christl Verduyn, was published by Laurier Press in 2005.

Rose Murray, a former English teacher, studied cooking techniques in Paris, Costa Rica, and Hong Kong. Her recipes have regularly appeared in Canadian Living, Elm Street, and Homemakers. The author of nine cookbooks, including A Year in My Kitchen and The Canadian Christmas Cookbook, and contributor to more than forty others, Rose Murray lives in Cambridge, Ontario.

Wayson Choy is the author of Paper Shadows, The Jade Peony, and All That Matters. He was the subject of Unfolding the Butterfly, a full-length film documentary by Michael Glassbourg and has appeared on television and radio across Canada. He is presently working on his second memoir as well as a novel.

Edna Staebler's profile page