Former Dire Straits Guitarist Taps Blurb Self-Publishing Platform for Passion Project Celebrating Healdsburg Food Scene

"Gatherings" showcases the rustic soul of the Healdsburg, CA region through a selection of set menus by local cooking talent

San Francisco, Calif.— August 6, 2014 —Blurb, the indie book and magazine publishing platform, today announced that former Dire Straits’ guitarist, Jack Sonni, has published his first book, Gatherings, using the Blurb self-publishing platform.

Sonni’s passion for the Healdsburg region and its emerging restaurant culture inspired him to create Gatherings, a bespoke collection that features recipes from local Healdsburg talent. Sonni used the Blurb platform to design, publish, and distribute Gatherings, which is available in the Blurb Bookstore. Sonni decided to use Blurb, as it was the only self-publishing platform that gave him complete creative control over his project at each step along the way, from layout and book design to pricing and distribution. Sonni was also able to profit more on each book sold than he would have if he went the traditional publishing route.

“The connection between food and music – from the creation to the sharing – are similar in that both take devotion, dedication, and a real passion to acquire the technique, and then master and transcend it all to become a true artist,” said Sonni. “As a musician I understand this and have always felt connected to Healdsburg. I created Gatherings to draw attention to the food artists who reside there.”

A taste of the talent in Healdsburg

Gatherings is a featherweight collection of six pocket-sized books detailing an array of farm-to-table influenced recipes from Kristine Bodily-Gallagher of Savvy on First, Peter Brown of Jimtown Store, Dino Bugica of Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria, Franco Dunn of Franco’s One World Sausages & Santi, Liza Hinman of The Spinster Sisters, and Ari Rosen of Scopa & Campo Fina — all who are known locally as the “heart and soul” of Healdsburg’s eclectic culinary scene. Each one has put their own signature on a menu that truly celebrates what dining and entertaining, Healdsburg-style, means to them.

From appetizer to dessert — each with a cheese course, cocktail and wine recommendations from Sonoma County’s acclaimed producers – Gatherings serves as a complete guide to creating and sharing the Healdsburg way of life with friends and family. Whether readers are planning an elaborate picnic or a garden supper for friends, Gatherings’ six set menus — one of which features wild salmon in fig leaves, buttermilk fried chicken and grilled lamb tongue with burnt tomatoes — provide a culinary snapshot of the Healdsburg approach to food, flavor and fun.

“Food in Healdsburg is both a passion and an art form, but most of all it has conviviality at its heart. After meeting Jack and seeing his passion for the talent in my town, I was honored to have him share the region with the world through Blurb,” said Eileen Gittins, President and CEO of Blurb. “Gatherings has been one of my favorite Blurb projects and I look forward to seeing its reach around the world.”

About Blurb®
Blurb® is a self-publishing platform and creative community that enables individuals to design, publish, share, sell, and distribute photo books, trade books, and magazines in both print and digital formats across the globe using its free, innovative book creation and layout tools. Founded in 2005 by Executive Chairman, Eileen Gittins, Blurb has nearly 2 million independent book authors worldwide, resulting in 3.9 million unique book titles, with more than 14 million units shipped to 80 countries around the world. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be found online at www.blurb.com.