KAREN TACK, author of “Hello Cupcake”
Don’t make the same old cupcakes again! “Hello Cupcake” author Karen Tack will show you how to take a simple cupcake and turn it into a work of art. Karen has been able to recreate anything in cupcake form, whether it is a pizza, a stampede of wild horses or even Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”! Learn all about the fun you can have creatively crafting your own cupcakes at Bookfest!

RUBY ANN BOXCAR, author of “Ruby Ann’s Down Home Trailer Park BBQin’ Cookbook”
Ruby Ann Boxcar will share her sharp sense of humor and trailer park sensibilities, not to mention some of her favorite recipes from her best-known book “Ruby Ann’s Down Home Trailer Park BBQin’ Cookbook” at Bookfest. After she redefines Americana you will never look at Spam and Velveeta the same way again!

ALIZA GREEN, author of five successful cookbooks

She also co-authored "¡Ceviche!: Seafood, Salads, and Cocktails with a Latino Twist" with chef Guillermo Piernot, which won a James Beard Award for “Best Single Subject Cookbook.” "Beans: More than 200 Delicious, Wholesome Recipes from Around the World", appeared as one of The New York Times’ top cookbooks of the year. Green’s food columns and articles appear in a variety of local and national newspapers and magazines. She has conducted numerous cooking classes, had many television appearances, including NBC’s Today Show, and radio interviews, and is a highly reputed television and print food stylist.

WILBERT JONES, author of “Smothered Southern Foods”
Southern chef Wilbert Jones will show two different approaches to cooking up delicious soul food. In “Smothered Southern Foods”  he shares his favorite recipes, ranging from ribs to cobblers. For those who are looking for healthier classic soul food dishes recipes, he wrote “The New Soul Food Cookbook” and “The Healthy Soul Food Cookbook” which show you how to keep the flavor in but cut out the fat.

DAISY MARTINEZ, author of “Daisy Cooks: Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World”
Television personality Daisy Martinez returns to Ocean County Library and will bring her spicy Latin flair to Bookfest. The host of the PBS-series “Daisy Cooks” and author of “Daisy Cooks: Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World” will show you how to cook up some of her favorite recipes and talk about what makes Latin cooking so special.

STEPHANIE ANDERSON, author of “Killer Chili”
Stephanie Anderson may seem like any other writer from Pennsylvania, except she is into killers—killer recipes that is. Her 2007 book “Killer Chili”is a collection of some of the hottest chili recipes from 50 renowned restaurants, ranging from a tempting Cape Cod seafood version to a rosemary-flavored Tuscan variety. She has also written “Killer Pies.”

JAE STEELE, author of "Get it Ripe: A Fresh Take on Vegan Cooking and Living"
Holistic nutritionist Jae Steele will bring her expertise in vegan whole-foods cooking from Toronto to Bookfest. Her bestselling book, "Get It Ripe", is not only a cookbook, but a healthy kitchen resource - emphasizing holistic living and the importance of unprocessed and unrefined ingredients with information on balanced diets, organic and local foods, and tips for making amazing baked goods without dairy, eggs or wheat! Not just for vegans, "Get It Ripe" is filled with simple and delicious recipes to help anyone reduce meat, dairy, gluten, sugar and other common allergens from their daily eating routine.

ABBY DODGE, author of “Around the World Cookbook”
Cookbook writer extraordinaire has a simple goal—to remind people that anyone can be a great cook or baker. Her latest book, “Around the World Cookbook,” features great, easy dishes that anyone, whether they are a kid or an adult, can make. These recipes, gathered from all over the world, range from Spanish monkfish parcels to Lebanese tabbouleh.

LILY BINNS, author of “The Hungry Scientist Handbook”
“The Hungry Scientist Handbook” is a DIY guide that brings technology into the kitchen and onto the plate.  Growing from a small 2005 Bay Area dinner party, a group of techie friends started the society, dedicating itself to the pursuit of kitchen projects that possessed varying degrees of whimsy and utility. At Bookfest author Lily Binns will share secrets from the society, including how to make edible origami, glowing lollypops and cryogenic martinis, as well as making a boombox out of Tupperware.

JEHANGIR MEHTA, author of “Mantra: the Rules of Indulgence”
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Mehta has been a pastry chef in some of New York City’s finest restaurants.  He has taken pastry to new artistic heights with his business Partistry that features handmade chocolates, teas and confections, along with hand-painted, fresh-flower wedding cakes and wedding favors.  His new restaurant, Graffiti, reflects his Mumbai upbringing and his expansive training. His book, “Mantra: the Rules of Indulgence,” was published in May.

TRACEY SEAMAN, author of “Real Food for Healthy Kids”
This single New Jersey mother of two adolescents has what the New York Daily News considers the dream job.  She is the test kitchen director for “Every Day with Rachel Ray.”  A food editor, stylist and recipe developer whose credits include “Food & Wine,” “Gourmet,”  “Vegetarian Times,” “Martha Stewart Living,” and “Martha Stewart Kids,” her latest book, “Real Foods for Healthy Kids” will be released in August.

JENNIFER 8 LEE, author of “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles”
Yes, “8.”  For many Chinese, the number eight symbolizes prosperity and good luck.  So, to fill in the blank where her parents did not give her a middle name, she chose “8”.  A reporter for the New York Times, her book, “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles,” tells about the history of Chinese food in the United States.  The ubiquitous cuisine is more “all-American” than apple pie, she said in an interview, adding there are more Chinese restaurants in this country than McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken combined.

THE YOUNG CHEFS ACADEMY

The Young Chef’s Academy will be at OCL’s Bookfest this year, teaching a lifetime love of cooking to kids. Visit their table as they create such Harry Potter specialties as Pumpkin Potion and Butter Beer, enter to win a door prize and find out more about their unique organization.

JEN A. MILLER, author of “The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May”
A freelance writer, former editor of SJ Magazine, videoblog star, and book author, Miller has a knack for taking complex, technical information and turning it into a story that is easily comprehended by general audiences.  Her book, “The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May: Great Destination,” published in May, tells of the rich cultural life that makes the 609-area code so special.