The 11th Annual Authors’ Brunch, hosted by the Claire T. Carney Library Associates, will be held on Sunday, April 2 at noon in the Woodland Commons on the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth campus. This year’s brunch will feature Didi Emmons, Mary Ann Esposito, and Ris Lacoste.

Didi Emmons is a serial restaurant opener. The fourth and last was a nonprofit called Haley House Bakery in Roxbury. This healthy café is a workplace for men and women who face significant barriers to employment.

Emmons has authored three cookbooks. Her first, Vegetarian Planet, sold a quarter million copies and was nominated for a James Beard award. Her most recent book was nominated in the Food Matters category by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Wild Flavors celebrates an eco-minded farmer, Eva Sommaripa, and the 46 herbs, weeds, and greens that she grows.  Emmons holds a B.S. from NYU and a Grands Diplome from La Varenne Ecoled de Cuisine in Paris.

Mary Ann Esposito is an American chef, cookbook author, and the host of the longest running television cooking program, Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito. A native of Buffalo, New York, she grew up watching her two nonnas cook. A trip to Italy to visit family inspired her to host a cooking program to share her love of Italian cuisine. She has worked alongside all the great chefs including Julia Child, Todd English, and Jacques Pépin. In 2013, she was made a knight of the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia by the President of the Italian Republic. Her latest cookbook is Ciao Italia Family Classics.

Ris Lacoste, a New Bedford native, was educated at Anne Willan’s La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. In New England, she worked in Cambridge at Harvest Restaurant and 21 Federal in Nantucket. In 1992, she was named restaurateur of the year for Federal 21 in Washington, D. C. by Washingtonian Magazine. In 1995, as executive chef of Georgetown’s 1789, she was named chef of the year by Capitol Restaurant & Hospitality Awards.  Lacoste is active in the community and in fundraising efforts for various organizations. She is a mentor for students at Hospitality High School. She is the proprietor and chef of Ris.

The cost for the event is $35. Reservations are required by March 24. Checks can be made out to the CTC Library Associates and mailed to Rita Raymond, 1032 Sterling Street, New Bedford, MA 02745.

To be a sponsor for the event, a minimum of three tickets must be purchased. To be a patron, a minimum of six tickets are required, and ten or more tickets are required to be a benefactor. Parking is available on campus in Lot 7. Shuttle service will be provided from the parking lot to the venue. For further information, contact Maria Sanguinetti at msanguinetti@umassd.edu or (508) 991-5096.