Ryan Jennings & David Steele

Born in Hamilton, ON, Ryan Jennings’ passion for food was sparked while baking in his mother’s kitchen as a child. After training at the George Brown College Chef School and the Ryerson University School of Journalism, Ryan began his career as a food writer. He became the food editor of ELLE Canada in 2002, where he worked for four years before launching a career as a freelance writer and food stylist. Ryan is a columnist for 2: The Magazine for Couples and contributes to publications such as Canadian Living, Toronto Life, and Food & Drink magazine. His food styling work can be seen in numerous cookbooks and publications like enRoute and Today’s Parent as well as for corporate clients including President’s Choice, Toblerone, Bailey’s and Air Canada. Ryan is also the spokesperson for Lassonde Specialties, a Quebec-based company that produces barbecue sauces with Canadian Club Whisky and a line of wine-spiked fondue product. 

A professional event planner and freelance culinary writer, David Steele began to explore the use of wine, beer, and spirits as ingredients in everyday cooking in 2003. An authority on all kinds of booze, David is a frequent contributor to various publications including Food & Drink magazine, Canadian Living online, the Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star and the Calgary Herald. In 2006, David joined forces with Ryan to write the bestselling book, Cooking with Booze. 

With the success of Cooking with Booze, Ryan and David realized there was still a void in the cookbook arena where booze and food were concerned. Wanting to create an entertaining guide that featured ways to pair wine and cocktails with food—and host fabulous parties, Ryan and David began working on Entertaining with Booze. This comprehensive party-planning book is complete with detailed menus for almost 30 themed parties, as well as wine and beer guides, glossaries, tips for stocking your pantry, ways to set the mood, and great food and drink recipes.