Karen Weinreb's Summer Kitchen Heats Up Westchester

Bedford is going to ripple all the way to its edges this summer when on July 9th, former resident Karen Weinreb releases her first novel entitled The Summer Kitchen.

After her media tour (including Martha Stewart and Oprah), the book will hit home with locals as this tell all novel (set in Bedford and loosely based on her own life story) takes a crack at her former Bedford neighbors "guilded marionettes" and Rippowam moms who snub her after her husband is arrested and jailed for defrauding investors out of 12 million dollars.

In the July issue of Marie Claire mag, Karen dishes about how white collar criminal hubbies are back in the news again with Madoff, and what it is like to be the family left behind with shame and no idea of what is coming.

My friend Nancy had an opportunity to conduct the only other print interview with Karen about her book (over lunch at the Meetinghouse). Lets just say that I correctly guessed who some of her characters in town really were.

She is lovely and settled finally and has relocated her family to Conn. As a single mom, she has restarted life after the tragedy of having her husband serve almost three years of jail time, lose her estate in Bedford, her friends and her confidence.

There is a steamy sex scene taking place at one of the area country clubs, some bitchy Rippowam Cisqua moms who turn tail after the money is gone and the scandal is in. There are a few well described trips to prison to visit the hubby with the kids and an unlikely support system that emerges to help her get back on her feet as she opens a bake shop (The summer ktichen) on the village green in the Lounsberry bldg...and gets her revenge when all those Ripp moms need to get her baked goods at all cost.

Wow and then Wow again.

Look for Nancy McLoughlin's Record Review exclusive in the paper the week of the 9th.

I wonder if any locals will recognize themselves in the pages? It will be a hot summer for some, and others might wish they had been a bit more charitable to their neighbor and friend when they had the upper hand.