When celebrity chef and Lenoir owner Chef Vivian Howard set out to create Vivians's Book Club — a monthly salon-style event featuring conversations with foodie authors — she vowed to only host events she'd want to attend herself.

The result: A stellar lineup of award-winning chefs, pit masters, food historians + more. Here's who to get excited about:

May 21: Margaret and Irene Li, Mei Mei Dumplings owners + sisters who wrote “Perfectly Good Food”
June 10: Steven Satterfield, James Beard award-winning chef, restaurant co-owner, and author of "Vegetable Revelations"
July 16: Marcie Ferris, Southern food historian who explores farms + food in "Edible North Carolina"
Aug. 27: Ed and Ryan Mitchell, generational pit masters and authors of “Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque”
Sept. 24: Beth Macy, journalist + New York Times bestselling author known for "Dopestick"
Oct. 22: Amy Thielen, Acclaimed Food Network host of “Heartland Table” who wrote “Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others”

Bonus: Events include a book signing, meet + greet, and book-inspired bites and drinks.*

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