Gourmet Store Owner, Chef Sign for Book, TV and Licensing Projects

Jason Starkman, owner of Epicure Gourmet Market & Café and the Epicure with Love specialty food line, and Epicure Specialty chef and author Michael Love have sold “The Salvage Chef Cookbook” to Skyhorse Publishing, Lyons Press.

The cookbook shows home cooks how to make use of their leftovers and products on the verge of expiring. “The Salvage Chef Cookbook” is partly based on the partnership Starkman and Love have at Epicure Gourmet Market & Café, whereby Love transforms surplus food into dishes and meals.

“We knew we had something very special with Chef Michael and our Epicure Gourmet Market & Café brand,” said Starkman. “We are all very excited about “The Salvage Chef Cookbook,” which is perfect for our audience. With the sale of “The Salvage Chef Cookbook” through (agent) Alan Morell, our agenda of a future TV series and Epicure with Love commercial products on shopping channels are on course.”

“I am very excited about being an author for Skyhorse Publishing and our future together,” said Love. “‘Salvage’ to most people means saving something that has been discarded. To me, salvaging in the kitchen is about taking real food that is either leftover or unused, finding an innovative and delicious purpose for it, thereby saving money, and reducing waste and delivering delicious food to the table. Working with Alan and Jason on broadcast and licensing projects is the next step.”

“Working with Jason and Michael on a master strategy has been a great collaboration,” said Morell of Creative Management Partners, who noted they have already engaged executive producers for the broadcast piece and are positioning the Epicure with Love line of projects for the shopping networks.

Epicure Gourmet Market & Café, based in Miami, was founded in 1945 as a butcher shop that evolved into a gourmet market. In 1998, Epicure Market was purchased by the Starkman family, who were already involved in the food business as the owner of 10 Jerry’s Famous Deli locations in California. Since then, Epicure has expanded. The Sunny Isles Beach location opened in 2008, and contains a full-service restaurant and bar along with a more casual café. A third branch in Coral Gables is under construction. Meanwhile, the original store on South Beach has recently undergone a renovation and there are plans for a restaurant. The co-branded food line, Epicure with Love, launched in 2011.