Thursday, November 19 ROMNEY (NANI) STEELE My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family, and Big Sur 7:30 PM In 2009 Nepenthe commemorates sixty years of bringing writers, artists, dancers, travelers, actors, and cooks together around the table. Today about 250,000 people visit Nepenthe every year. My Nepenthe weaves together stories and tales about the famous restaurant perched on the majestic cliffs of Big Sur, celebrating the magic and history of place through food and the family who started Nepenthe. A lyrical feast written by Romney (Nani) Steele, the owners’ granddaughter, who grew up at the restaurant, My Nepenthe is as much about a family enterprise as it is about the Fassett family and their legacy. It recounts stories about the family’s more than sixty-year history on the coast, the arts and architecture, and the colorful people who were the genesis of this legendary restaurant. Steele describes the restaurant’s vibrant past as a gathering place and noted bohemian haunt, and its foray into the film industry during the shooting of The Sandpiper, featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. She also explores the lively scene that played out into the 70s and onward through the current decade. My Nepenthe includes more than seventy-five special recipes from the Fassetts, the restaurant, and the café, along with spectacular photography that completes the tale. Ultimately, My Nepenthe is a story about food, family, and the culture of place, and how it all unfolds around the table and why that matters. Located on the Big Sur cliffs 808 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Nepenthe Restaurant boasts sweeping views of the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains and the wild south coast of Monterey County. Angular mountains plunge into the crashing surf below, and on a clear day there is no limit to the scenery, unspoiled and immense in nature. Opened in 1949 by the Fassett family, the restaurant is nestled among native oak trees and a historic log cabin (now faced by brick) that was once owned by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. Romney Steele is a writer, cook, and food stylist, and the granddaughter of Bill and Lolly Fassett, creators of Nepenthe. Nani, as she is known to family and friends, grew up at the family restaurant and opened Café Kevah, an outdoor café on the Nepenthe grounds, when she was twenty-six years old. She later served as a pastry chef at Sierra Mar Restaurant at neighboring Post Ranch Inn. Her writing has appeared in various print magazines, including Gourmet, and online at MSNBC. She currently lives in Oakland.