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Contact:  Julia Shannon at CookbookRave@aol.com
or Amanda Erickson at Amanda.Erickson@hbgusa.com

 

10 OF McDONALD'S MOST FAMOUS FORMER EMPLOYEES NAMED BY AMERICA ONLINE, ON THE HEELS OF THE GOLDEN ARCHES' "BEST COFFEE" WIN IN CONSUMER REPORTS

 

New York City (February 5, 2007) -- As many as one in 10 Americans has worked for McDonald's at some point in their life.

 

Today, America Online's Money and Finance Channel spotlights 10 of the fast food giant's most famous former employees.  The 10 include Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, former White House chief of Staff Andrew Card, James Beard Award-winning author Andrew Dornenburg, singer  Macy Gray, Tonight show host Jay Leno, Olympic athlete Carl Lewis, actress Rachel McAdams, Grammy winner Pink, actress Sharon Stone, and singer  Shania Twain.  [There is a link to the article here:  http://money.aol.com/special/mcdonalds-most-famous-employees.]

 

This month, McDonald's made headlines as the surprise winner of a coffee taste test conducted by Consumer Reports magazine, in which the hamburger chain's java trumped that of Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, and even Starbucks.

 

"Famous alum" author Andrew Dornenburg includes a nod or two to his former employer in his new book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT:  The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea -- Even Water -- Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers (Little, Brown's Bulfinch Press, Oct. '06; $35), which recently won the 2006 Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Award and a Gourmand World Cookbook Award as Best Book on Pairing Food and Wine - U.S. 

 

An encyclopedic reference to thousands of food and drink pairings, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT advises pairing a McDonald's Big Mac with a glass of Beaujolais-Villages, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet-Shiraz blends, Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, off-dry Riesling, off-dry rose, or White Zinfandel. 

 

A McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwich merits a single recommendation in the book:  Sauvignon Blanc, especially from New Zealand.

 

What does Dornenburg think of McDonald's coffee?  Like Consumer Reports' taste testers, he's a fan.  "It's smooth and well-balanced, without excess acidity or bitterness," says Dornenburg.  "And it pairs well with one of McDonald's apple pies."

 

Called "the brightest young author team on the culinary scene today" on National Public Radio, Andrew Dornenburg and his wife Karen Page are co-authors of BECOMING A CHEF, winner of the James Beard Book Award for Best Writing on Food; CULINARY ARTISTRY, which is frequently cited as the favorite book of top chefs around the world; DINING OUT, which was named one of the world's best books on gastronomy and a finalist for both the James Beard and IACP Book Awards; CHEF'S NIGHT OUT, named the #1 book of 2001 by FabulousFoods.com; and THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF, which was a finalist for the IACP Cookbook Award; in addition to WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. 

 

Dornenburg and Page have been married since 1990, and live in New York City.

 

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To schedule an interview with authors Andrew Dornenburg and/or Karen Page, or to receive a review copy of  WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, please contact Julia Shannon at CookbookRave@aol.com or Little, Brown publicity manager Amanda Erickson at amanda.erickson@hbgusa.com or (212) 364-1308. 

 

Journalists on deadline may also contact the authors directly at Dornenburg@aol.com or (212) 642-5870. 

James Beard Award-winning author Andrew Dornenburg's Web site is http://www.becomingachef.com.