Alpana's Cooking: the book that will conquer shelves and hearts

On 13 May, 2018, Alpana Habib finally launched her long-awaited cook book, 'Alpana's Cooking.' Publishing a book of recipes was her childhood dream. So, with years of experience in the culinary world, and with help from friends and family, her dream came to fruition.

The event was hosted by Zara and Naveed Mahbub, and they brought unbound  joy and laughter to the night. The panel of speakers starred an ensemble of eminent women in Bangladesh such as Tasmima Hossain, Editor of Ananya Magazine; Sadya Afreen Mallick, Chief of Cultural Initiatives, The Daily Star; Nilufar Farooq, Managing Director of Ikebana; and most importantly, Alpana Habib's mother Dr. Afzalunnessa. The chief guest of the night was actor and MP Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister of Cultural Affairs.

"My passion for cooking started when my father fell ill, and all I wanted to do was prepare the best meals for him," Alapana Habib says.

She also said that it wasn't until her massive following on YouTube that really pushed her to write and compile recipes, saying, "I was on television for a while, but the YouTube subscribers were so diverse that I had to think about writing the book in both English and Bangla so that the recipes are inclusive for a wide range of the world, and I want my legacy to be my easy to prepare cook book."

Life comes in full circle in the most beautiful ways. For Alpana Habib, the day of her book launch was not only on Mother's Day, who stood there as a mother and a daughter, but she was also able to publish the book in the birth month of the woman who inspired her the most, Siddika Kabir.

MP Assaduzzaman Noor said, in his speech to Alapana Habib, "It has been a while that a Bangla recipe book at this scale has been published, since Siddika Kabir's Recipe, and because you had close ties with her, and having known both of you, I can say that you are her successor."

The night ended with a mouth-watering array of over 15 items with appetizers, mains and desserts.

Books available at: Aarong, The Book Worm, Bread and Beyond bakery, Stardust and rokomari.com.

Price: Tk 2500

Visit http://alpanahabib.com/ for details and more information