Local nonprofit executive and CPA, Johnathon Scott Barrett, will debut his culinary memoir, Rise and Shine! A Southern Son’s Treasury of Food, Family and Friends at “Bourbon & Books,” at a special book launch event at Southwest Chatham Library located at 14097 Abercorn St. on Thursday, September 10 at 5:30 p.m. All ticket sales will benefit Live Oak Public Libraries and will include cocktails and hors d'oeuvres from recipes in Rise and Shine!, a meet and greet with the author and time for book signings. Tickets are $75 per person ($125 per couple) and includes a copy of Rise and Shine!

With seven generations of Georgia heritage to draw upon, Barrett has mastered the Southern food memoir in Rise and Shine!," says Nathalie Dupree, James Beard winning cookbook author and television host. "The reader can’t help but become charmed with his love of food, family, and friends—all of which are showcased in each and every chapter. It is both a delightful read and a scrumptious cookbook."

A renowned cook and host in culinary rich Savannah, Ga., Barrett’s food memoir is already garnering widespread regional interest and appreciation. He kicks off a nearly 30-stop book tour in late August and has been selected to participate in some of the most notable and exclusive literary events and festivals across the Southeast including the AJC Decatur Book Festival, Southern Festival of Books, Georgia Literary Festival, Savannah Book Festival and Louisiana Book Festival among others. For a full listing of tour events, please visit  www.johnathonscottbarrett.com

Rise and Shine! is an engaging, funny, and poignant memoir about a Southern son and his life’s relationship with food. Barrett takes you on a decades-long journey of culinary exploration, starting in the 1960s in his hometown of Perry, Ga. There in the low-rolling hills and slow-moving creeks of Middle Georgia he tells—with good humor and reflection—stories about his family, and how for generations farm-to-table food was a mainstay in their daily lives. He also relates how food was the common denominator for all aspects of life in the South, especially in small towns and rural communities.

Barrett shares his need to leave behind those days of stewed squash and fried okra, and move on to what he felt were more sophisticated and global offerings. He discovered, however, that while he tried to take his palate out of Dixie, there was always some Georgia red clay in his blood—and in his taste buds.  Successfully melding those early days of learning the basics of Southern fare and later stretching his culinary skills, Barrett demonstrates in this narrative his formula for a successful casual dinner or formal black tie affair. With several menus and 100 recipes ranging from down-home picnic offerings such as ‘Joyce’s Don’t Mess with Success Pimiento Cheese’ to a magnificent platter of ‘Grouper Meunière,’ the author provides a wonderful array of delights for contemporary cooks.

Tickets for the “Bourbon & Books” book launch event for Rise and Shine! are available online at http://bit.ly/1eVcUuo. Attendees can also reserve tickets by calling Christy Divine at 912.652.3605 or email at [email protected]. Please type “Bourbon & Books" in the subject line and include name(s), address, phone number and credit card information. Attendees can also RSVP by mail to Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation at 2002 Bull St., Savannah, GA 31401. Please include names of those in your party and contact information. Ticket sales benefit Live Oak Public Libraries.