With the same passion her brother Jimmy captures the spirit of life on the water in his music, Lucy “LuLu” Buffett serves up it its flavor, seasoned with a dash of humor, in her book “Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation with Lucy Buffett.”

Lucy Buffett will be on The University of Southern Mississippi’s Hattiesburg campus April 16 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. to sign her book at the Barnes and Noble bookstore. “Crazy Sista Cooking” includes 150 of her top recipes that dot the menu of her famed restaurant “LuLu’s at Homeport Marina” in Gulf Shores, Ala. Her brother, a Southern Miss alumnus, wrote the book’s forward.

“Crazy Sista Cooking” is the fulfillment of her dream to produce a book that shares her love for food, cooking, storytelling and good times shared with family and friends.

“We’re excited about having Lucy on campus and hosting this signing event,” said Kathy Hayman, manager of Barnes and Noble at Southern Miss. “It’s a great book with some wonderful recipes and stories, and I know fans of her and her brother will want to get a copy.”

Lucy Buffett reconnected with her Gulf Coast roots in 1999 when she left Los Angeles and a career in film production to return home to open LuLu’s. The restaurant offers not only her own culinary creations but also family favorites concocted in the kitchens of her mother and grandmothers.

Her cooking adventure began with french fries at age 10. A self-taught chef, she said “Like any skill, it takes practice and knowledge, but I bring a lot of love to the table as well. I think I’ve come a long way from frozen French fries.”
 
At 4 p.m., she will participate in the announcement of the 2009 recipients of a scholarship named for her mother, the late Mary Loraine “Peets” Buffett, a 1940 graduate of the Gulf Park College for Women in Long Beach, now Southern Miss Gulf Coast.

The scholarships are managed by the Southern Miss Alumni Association and are awarded to incoming full-time female freshmen from Mississippi with a high school grade point average of 3.0 or higher and who demonstrate financial need. To date, five women have received Peets Buffett scholarships totaling $15,532.

For more information about these events, contact the Southern Miss Alumni Association at 601.266.5013. To learn more about and to support the Mary Loraine “Peets” Buffett Scholarship fund, contact the Southern Miss Foundation at 601.266.5602. 

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About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.  In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.  Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.