IN-STORE EVENT: Nichole Accettola & Malena Watrous, Scandinavian from Scratch

FREE IN-STORE EVENT: Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes Nichole Accettola and Malena Watrous for an event celebrating their brand new cookbook Scandinavian from Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, which our cookbook buyer says is one of her favorite books of the season, "Perfect for fika, holidays, and anytime you want to enjoy something delicious."

Bring the taste of Scandinavia to your home kitchen with these sweet and savory bites all made from scratch: hearty flatbreads, festive fruit cakes, fragrant saffron buns, and more.

Sample recipes from Scandinavian from Scratch at this event!

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After moving back to the United States following more than a decade abroad, chef Nichole Accettola found herself longing for the wholesome breads, buttery pastries, decadent cakes, and cookies that she enjoyed on a daily basis while living in Copenhagen. She set out on a mission to bring the tastes and treats of Scandinavia to her home and community and opened her now beloved San Francisco–based café, Kantine.

In Scandinavian From Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Accettola has curated a scrumptious assortment of baked goods and simple morning and midday meals rooted in Scandinavian cuisine. Ordered by occasion and arranged from simplest to most complex, these 75 recipes explore the intersection of culinary cultures from different Scandinavian countries. Readers will fill their home kitchens with the enticing aromas of Coconut Dream Cake, Black Currant Caves, Cardamom Morning Buns, Cinnamon Knots, Gravlax and Chive Potato Salad Smørrebrød, and so many more. The book’s October release date will make it natural for home bakers as Scandinavians do in embracing wintertime and the holidays (peak baking time!) An entire chapter – named “Winter Therapy” – alone transports bakers straight to the cozy, comforting kitchens of Scandinavia!

Scandinavian From Scratch features detailed instructions, helpful tips, tricks and how-to images to guide home bakers and unquestionably expand their baking repertoire. The book also provides insight into Scandinavian techniques and cultural traditions, bringing the magic of Scandinavia baking to life. Stunning photography captures the beauty and simplicity of this region’s baked goods and inspires readers to head straight to the kitchen and bake!

Chapter and recipe highlights include:

THE COOKIE TIN: Finnish Almond Matchsticks /Finska Pinnar; Black Licorice Slices / Lakritssnittar; Oatmeal Lace Cookies with Chocolate / Havreflarn Med Choklad

SIMPLE CAKES AND CELEBRATION DESSERTS: Cardamom-Scented Pear and Apple Snacking Cake; Blackberry Tosca Cake / Toscakaka Med Björnbär; Lemon Moon Cake / Citronmåne

LET’S FIKA!: Chocolate-Covered Custard Buns / Fastelavnsboller; Roasted Rhubarb and Cream Cheese Tarts; Pear and Chamomile Cream Danishes

RISE AND SHINE: Potato Flatbread / Lefse; Rye and Oat Granola; The Grovbirkes Sandwich

RYE BREAD AND DANISH OPEN-FACED SANDWICHES: Rye Crispbread/Knäckebröd;
Sprouted Rye bread/Rugbrød; Sweet Potato, Goat Cheese, and Apple Smørrebrød

WINTER THERAPY: Apple Dumplings with Buttermilk and Lemon Zest / Æbleskiver; Vanilla Wreath Cookies / Vaniljekranse; Honey Hearts / Honninghjerter

Nichole Accettola is a CIA-trained chef with years of experience in both professional kitchens and teaching culinary arts, abroad in Denmark as well as in the US. As the owner of Kantine, a Scandinavian-inspired café located in San Francisco, Nichole showcases her gorgeous pastries, porridges and jewel-like smørrebrød sandwiches which have garnered glowing reviews from media such as San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out, and Eater.

Malena Watrous is a novelist and cookbook author. She attended the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and then a Jones Lecturer. Her novel, If You Follow Me, won the Michener-Copernicus Award. She previously co-authored the cookbook, My Mexico City Kitchen, with chef Gabriela Camara, and lives in Santa Cruz.