It was an event any fan of The Real Housewives of New Jersey could enjoy. On Thursday night, Teresa Giudice of the hit reality show mixed fashion and food at Livingston's Shoe Inn boutique as part of a book signing stop for her cookbook "Skinny Italian."
Even before Giudice arrived at 5 p.m. at the swanky Shoe Inn, many teenage girls and mostly adult women arrived early to beat the line. Being early was no bother, as patrons were offered a glass of wine and munched on snacks of cheese and crackers, fresh fruit and vegetables while perusing the store's wide selection of shoes.
When Giudice arrived, the chatter continued as she dished about her favorite recipes and the show.
What's Teresa's favorite recipe in Skinny Italian, some wondered?
"My favorite recipe is Tagliatelle," said Giudice of the pasta, which she makes "skinny" by using ham and peas. "It was my mother's recipe," said Giudice.
Many of the recipes in Giudice's cookbook have been made on the show already, such as her recipe for "Linguine with White Clam Sauce" that appears in the book as "Luscious Linguine with Manila Clams." Giudice says the cookbook is a mix of her family's traditional Italian dishes and her own health-conscious ones like the "Zucchini Spaghetti Salad."
On an upcoming episode, the cookbook itself will make an appearance, according to Giudice, when she introduces the book to the cast of Real Housewives. Giudice is also looking forward to watching the episodes where the cast went to Italy, including a trip to Salerno, the city where her parents lived before immigrating to the United States.
"My girls love to cook with me," said Giudice, adding, "I think it's good to cook with your family, it's a family bonding time."
Her stop in Livingston is part of a larger tour.
"I was in New York on Tuesday and the store ran out of copies before the book signing was over," said Giudice. Interest in New Jersey, the show's setting, is perhaps even more evident. Over a hundred books were sold at Shoe Inn's event alone.
The stop coincided with a trunk show of "Chez by Cheryl" handbags, with the designer Cheryl Lawinski on-site, too. Many of the "Chez by Cheryl" handbags are worn on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Giudice herself has been seen on many episodes with the bags and accessorized her outfit with a handbag from the new fall line.
For two hours, Giudice signed copies of Skinny Italian and posed for pictures with fans. Even though the book was being sold at Shoe Inn, some shoppers came prepared.
"I purchased the book at The Barnes & Noble before I came over here," said Alexa Centrella from Ridgewood. "I was really worried they would sell out and I wouldn't be able to get a signed copy!"
For Michelle Centrella, Alexa's sister, this would not be her first time meeting the Housewives star.
"I went to her book signing in Denville. She was so nice!" said Michelle Centrella.
Longtime fans of the show looked at the book signing as a great opportunity to meet a member of the Housewives cast.
"I'm very faithful to the show and I read all the blogs" said Danielle Delguercio, from West Caldwell, who purchased a copy of the book at the store and got her picture taken with Giudice.
The staff of Shoe Inn was just as excited as the fans.
"Ever since I knew Teresa would be coming, I've recorded the episodes on my DVR to watch again," said Kathleen McCormack, manager at the boutique. McCormack said she had bought a copy of the book and is going to try some of the recipes.
Billy Lawson, owner of the chain of Shoe Inn stores, also came out to the Livingston event. Lawson, who has been the owner for 38 years, was glad the event had brought a great turn out to the store.
"This event has brought new customers in to see who we are and what we're about," said Lawson, who added that one of the Shoe Inn locations will appear on an episode of the show this September.
Teresa Giudice's next book signing will be at Sizzle Tans in Parsippany. Since May, Giudice has been going to over 20 book signings a month. She will continue to appear at book signings in the tri-state area throughout the summer and into fall. A full list of Giudice's upcoming appearances can be found at www.EntertainMeLLC.com.
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