Prepare your taste buds for an afternoon of food, wine and conversation. The third annual Cook the Vineyard luncheon returns to Lola’s Southern Seafood restaurant on Monday, July 18 with a full plate of cookbook authors. 

Lifestyle personality Sissy Biggers hosts the luncheon, sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine. Ms. Biggers contributes regularly on the Today Show and has hosted her own shows on the Food Network and Lifetime channel. 

This year’s event features six guest cookbook authors with local and regional roots. Lola’s kitchen staff prepares a multi-course meal drawn from recipes from each guest author’s cookbook. Guests enjoy an appetizer, salad, entrée, two sides, a cheese course and a dessert served with wine, and authors are seated among the guests, offering an opportunity for discussion. 

West Tisbury native Chris Fischer joins the afternoon celebration with his nationally-acclaimed cookbook, The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook. Mr. Fischer currently works as the head chef at The Covington restaurant in Edgartown. His cookbook earned a 2015 James Beard Foundation award. The luncheon uses the cookbook’s lobster crostini recipe as its opening appetizer. 

Cook the Vineyard also features three other Martha’s Vineyard residents: Susie Middleton, Sarah Waldman and Cathy Walthers. A cheese course is being offered by the Grey Barn.

Additional guests authors include Jennifer Trainer Thompson and Mona Dolgov. Ms. Thompson’s cookbook Fresh Fish gives the meal its entrée recipe for roasted cod. A Boston native, Ms. Thompson received a nomination for the James Beard Award for past work.

During the meal, Ms. Biggers will interview authors about what inspired them to write their cookbooks, how long it took to prepare their recipes and insights into cooking and writing.

Copies of each author’s cookbooks will be available for sale by Bunch of Grapes Bookstore at a signing event immediately following the luncheon.

The event runs from noon to 2 p.m. Tickets online are $75 per person, available at cookthevineyard2016.bpt.me. Cook the Vineyard sold out its first two years and anticipates the same this year. 

If available, tickets will be sold at the door for $90, on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Video of 2015 Cook the Vineyard.