By Tyler BIDDLE

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, special guest Ann Romney will be appearing at the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffee House to sign copies of her new book, “The Romney Family Table: Sharing Home-Cooked Recipes and Favorite Traditions.”

Being the former first lady of Massachusetts and the wife of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney has brought a whirlwind of press and intense scheduling into her life, but since the election she has taken the time to return to her “normal” life and celebrate the traditions her family was built on … which includes cooking.

The idea for a cookbook began years before the campaign. She grew up with a mother who loved to cook and taught her a wealth of techniques and traditions that she hoped to pass on to her children. At one point, Romney said she even ran her own little cooking school out of their home.

Romney now has five children, all of whom are boys.

“I realized that all of these family traditions and recipes were going to get lost because my boys are boys and they won’t be cooking,” she said in an interview with BookTV. Her dedication to keeping family traditions alive was one of her biggest reasons for writing the cookbook and for why she made it so full of personal family details. As a happy surprise, some of her boys turned out to be good cooks themselves.

“Fortunately my love of cooking was passed on to some of my sons,” she said. “So in the book there are some recipes from my son Josh and my son Craig who likes to cook soups.”

When the campaign ended, her son Josh, who loves cooking the most, encouraged her to take advantage of her new found free time to write a cookbook.

“It’s a huge adjustment in so many ways,” she said referring to how her schedule changed after the election. “You can imagine going 100 miles an hour, having media following you, busloads of media. Then the next day it’s done.”

As to whether her husband is a good cook, she replied, “Mitt is fantastic in the kitchen and he helps me out. On Thanksgiving morning he is the one in there, stuffing the bird and getting things ready.”

Over 40 years of traditions, recipes and stories have been packed into the book making it a more all encompassing look at the Romney family. It’s also filled with plenty of family photos that have never been published before.

“This cookbook is not like a normal cookbook… It’s going to be interesting for people who think they know who the Romneys are. I think they will really be surprised,” she said.

The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with a limit of two books per person in line. To have a book signed it must be purchased at the bookstore at which time the purchaser will be given a ticket. Only those with tickets will be allowed to have a book signed.

The Flintridge Bookstore is located at 1010 Foothill Blvd. in La Cañada. For more information about the event, call (818) 790-0717 or visit the Flintridge Bookstore website.

  Tyler BIDDLE