Events › Author Talk: Hannah Selinger - Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly

Author Hannah Selinger, in conversation with journalist Kara Baskin, discusses her new book, Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly, one of Town & Country's Best Books of Spring 2025 and Kirkus Reviews' Most Anticipated Nonfiction of Spring 2025. 

During her tenure in the restaurant industry, Selinger rubbed shoulders with David Chang, Bobby Flay, Johnny Iuzzini, and countless other food celebrities of the early 2000’s. Her position allowed her access to a life she never expected; the lavish parties, the tasting courses, the wildly expensive wines – the rare world we see romanticized in countless movies and television shows. But the thing about being invisible is that people forget you’re there, and most act differently when they think no one is looking.

In Cellar Rat, Selinger chronicles her rise and fall in the restaurant business, beginning with the gritty hometown pub where she fell in love with the industry and ending with her final post serving celebrities at the Hamptons classic Nick & Toni’s. In between, readers will join Selinger on her emotional journey as she learns the joys of fine dining, the allure and danger of power, and what it takes to walk away from a career you love when it no longer serves you.

Book sale and signing facilitated by local bookstore partner Trident Booksellers after the talk concludes.

Hannah Selinger is a James Beard Award-nominated lifestyle writer and mother of two based in Boxford, MA. Her print and digital work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, Eater, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and elsewhere. Her 2021 Bon Appétit essay, "In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Fear and Love," is anthologized in the 2022 Best American Food Writing collection, published by HarperCollins and edited by Sohla El-Waylly.

Kara Baskin writes the award-winning Parenting Unfiltered newsletter and column for The Boston Globe. She also writes about food, quirky behavior, and real estate. She has reported and edited for Boston Magazine, The Boston Phoenix, New York Magazine, and The New Republic. Her book, Everything to Everybody: How to Wrangle Kids, Work, Aging Parents, and Spouses When You Just Want to Take A Nap (Grand Central Publishing), comes out in 2026. She grew up outside Boston and therefore maintains unbridled affection for Market Basket.

Accessibility Notice: We strive to make our events accessible. To request a disability accommodation and/or language services, contact the department listed in the "Contact Info" pane on the right. Please allow at least two weeks to arrange accommodation.