Lee Brothers in your house

I was once doing a story on food in Charleston when I hooked up with Matt and Ted Lee for a couple of stops. They took me to one of the great fried-chicken places, a tiny joint called Martha Lou's. As we walked in the door, the guy behind the counter hollered out, "Lee Brothers in the HOUSE!"



OK, long way to explain that South Carolina is having a contest where you actually can win Lee Brothers in your house, to cook for your supper club. The S.C. Department of Agriculture is sponsoring "Lee Brother Your Supper," a campaign to encourage people to buy certified S.C. produce and products.

Through July 31, you can enter the free drawing to win a supper-club dinner cooked by Matt and Ted using all-S.C. food. (Your supper club event must be held in South Carolina for no more than 50 people.) There will also be weekly drawings for T-shirts and copies of their newest book, "Simple Fresh Southern." Get an entry form online at www.leebrotheryoursupper.com. If you're not from South Carolina, you still can get daily Lee Brothers recipes and cooking tips.

Photo: grubstreet.com.

N.C. blogger/author wins at IACP

The International Association of Culinary Professionals announced winners of its awards last week. Along with the James Beard Foundation, the IACP gives annual awards for books and food writing.

Among the IACP winners this year: Jonathan Bloom of Durham, author of the book "American Wasteland," in the Food Matters category. Bloom tied with Deborah Krasner, author of "Good Meat." Bloom also has a blog, Wasted Food.

Authors Matt and Ted Lee of New York and Charleston won the American category for "The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern."

To recognize the 25th anniversary of IACP's book awards, five books were named to the Culinary Classics category, for books that made meaningful contributions to the field of culinary literature: "A Book of Mediterranean Food," by Elizabeth David; "On Food and Cooking," by Harold McGee; "The Classic Italian Cook Book," by Marcella Hazan; "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle; and "The Joy of Cooking" (1975 edition) by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker.

For the full list of IACP winners, go here.

Monday Giveaway: It's the Lees, Peanut

Ever since Matt and Ted Lee stitched up a brown paper catalog on an old sewing machine and went into business selling mail-order boiled peanuts, they've been attracting attention. These days, they divide their time between Charleston and New York, while they write books that combine simple techniques with classic Southern ingredients.

They're still attracting attention, and they'll have plenty of chances in Charlotte this fall. They're making three stops here with their new book, "The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern," a collection of recipes such as Shrimp Pate and Sweet Potato and Okra Fritters.

Their schedule here:

Noon to 2 p.m. Friday, they'll do a cooking demonstration and sign books at Williams-Sonoma, 6401 Morrison Blvd.

3 p.m. Nov. 22, they'll sign books at a fundraiser at Park Road Books at Park Road Shopping Center. Proceeds will go to the Women's National Book Association and First Book, which gets new books to kids who need them. The store also will serve samples of the Lee Brothers' recipes.

7 p.m. Dec. 10, the brothers will speak about their food writing careers at Friends of the Library at Queens University, in Sykes Auditorium, 1900 Selwyn Ave. (I've heard them speak several times, so I'm sure this will be fun. Picture a cross between Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Ira Glass.) Reservations are required, and Park Road Books will sell books there, too. Call 704-607-6548.

OK, now you know whens and wheres, here's your chance at the what: I have a copy of the new book to give away. Post your name here in the comments (if you sign in as anonymous, give me a name you'll recognize if I pick your entry at random.) Deadline is 9 a.m. Thursday. We'll announce the winner later that day, so don't forget to check back.