FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Page & Palette welcomes back Chef John Folse to Fairhope on Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 6 – 8 pm.

He will sign his latest cookbook “Hooks, Lies & Alibis” at the downtown Fairhope bookstore.

From the author of “After the Hunt” and “The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine.” “Hooks, Lies & Alibis” focuses on Louisiana’s fishing culture and cuisine and will include recipes submitted by families from throughout the region.

“Louisiana is blessed with fabulous cooks,” Folse said. “‘Hooks, Lies & Alibis’ is an excellent venue to preserve family recipes. Nothing excites me more than to discover a yellowed piece of paper with a recipe scrawled on it from a hunter or fisherman from days gone by.”

While the focus of the book is saltwater, freshwater and shellfish, there are still many pages designated for breakfast items, desserts, side dishes, breads and beverages.

Unlike previous cookbooks, Folse organized the recipes by culinary technique. Chapters include frying and sautéing; baking and roasting; grilling; boiling, poaching and steaming; and smoking and drying, among several others.

Folse determined this would be the most efficient means of showcasing Louisiana’s brimming waters featuring multiple preparation methods.

“Recipes are our heritage. They speak to our past: where we lived, what we ate, the professions we held,” Folse said. “We want to preserve their way of life through their recipes.”

Folse, born in St. James Parish in 1946, learned early that the secrets of Cajun cooking lay in the unique ingredients of Louisiana’s swamp floor pantry. He seasoned these raw ingredients with his passion for Louisiana culture and cuisine, and from his cast iron pots emerged Chef John Folse & Co.

The international success of Folse’s cornerstone property, Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant, spawned the incorporation of several other company properties. White Oak Plantation in 1986 established Folse’s catering and events management division. Chef John Folse & Co. Publishing, since 1989, has produced eight cookbooks in his Cajun and Creole series, plus a novel, and two children’s books.

Folse has received numerous national and international accolades. In 2007, he served as the American Judge for the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest in Lyon, France. In October 2008 Folse was awarded the Louisiana Governor’s Cultural Economic Development Arts Award and Southern Foodways Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award.

Thirty years of culinary excellence later, Folse is still adding ingredients to the corporate gumbo he calls Chef John Folse & Co., which is as diverse as the Louisiana landscape, and he would not want it any other way.

The author will exclusively sign all books purchased from Page & Palette.

For more information, call (251) 928-5295, or visit www.pageandpalette.com.