Barilla's New The 'Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook' Featuring Celebrity Recipes From Mario Batali and Tips From Julianne Moore for Making Family Dinners Meaningful

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Some of Americans' most memorable moments are shared at the family dinner table. To encourage families to "Share the Table" more often, Barilla, one of today's top Italian food groups, Mario Batali and Julianne Moore have teamed up with 10 notable celebrities to create the limited edition Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook.  Available for download at www.ShareTheTable.com through October 15, the free cookbook is packed with family meal-sharing tips and exclusive new Mario Batali recipes inspired by favorite pasta dishes from celebrities including Meryl Streep, Kristin Chenoweth and Jimmy Fallon.

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By visiting www.ShareTheTable.com and affirming their belief in meaningful meals, people can make a difference in the lives of others, in addition to receiving the free pasta cookbook. For every visitor who clicks on the icon that says they believe in meaningful meals, Barilla will donate $1 to Meals On Wheels Association of America, up to $150,000.

"My family and I share a love for good food and the belief that good food becomes great when it's shared with family and friends," said Mario Batali, James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur and author. "But because life can be so hectic, families can often forget the simple yet important pleasure of sharing meals together. That's why I partnered with Barilla – to encourage and help families make mealtimes more meaningful."

At www.ShareTheTable.com, people will find more than 100 tips to create a family dinner filled with robust conversation, meaningful interactions and flavorful food. "Eating together has enriched my family's life," said Oscar®-nominated actress Julianne Moore.  "Through Barilla's 'Share the Table,' I want to share with others how easy it can be to create meaningful family meals at home and how rewarding it can be."

The Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook features recipes of celebrities' favorite dishes, including:

• Cheese Tortellini in Sage Brown Butter Sauce (Martina McBride)
• Penne with Roasted Cauliflower (Meryl Streep)
• Vegetarian Lasagna (Julianne Moore)
• Spaghetti Carbonara (Jimmy Fallon)
• Baked Ziti (Andy Roddick)

Other celebrities participating in the cookbook are: Holly Robinson-Peete, Kristen Bell, Ellie Krieger, Mariska Hargitay, Kristin Chenoweth and James Denton.

Sharing the Table to Alleviate Hunger

When families "Share the Table," they will also help others in need. Simply visit www.ShareTheTable.com and click "yes" to the question, "do you believe in meaningful meals?" and Barilla will donate $1 to Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA), up to $150,000, to support programs serving more than one million meals per day.  

"Nearly six million American seniors are facing the threat of hunger," said Enid Borden, President and CEO of MOWAA.  "We cannot thank Barilla enough for stepping up to the plate and supporting us in our mission to provide the next meal so no senior goes hungry."

Making Family Meals Meaningful

Sharing food and family memories has been at the heart of Barilla for over 130 years. "We started out as a father-son business that provided fresh, delicious food for families to enjoy together; four generations later, our purpose hasn't changed," said Prita Wadhwani, Integrated Marketing, Barilla America, Inc.  "We created 'Share the Table: The Barilla Family Dinner Project' to help make meaningful family meals a priority because when we 'Share the Table,' we nourish our bodies, our spirits and our relationships." Barilla found that Americans agree. A survey commissioned by Barilla showed that people who eat together more frequently, or have better quality meals with less distractions, claim to be more satisfied with every aspect of their lives.

At www.ShareTheTable.com, families can discover how to develop customized weekly dinner plans, download more than 700 Barilla recipes, design placemats for their dinner tables, learn from family experts, share their own dinnertime stories and pictures with others and more.  

For more information and to download The Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook, please visit www.ShareTheTable.com.

BARILLA PASTA FRIDAYS SWEEPSTAKES

To help families more easily plan a family meal, Barilla is offering free pasta meals. By entering the sweepstakes online at www.ShareTheTable.com, pasta lovers can win coupons for Barilla Pasta and Barilla Sauce, along with great recipes and pairing suggestions. Five hundred lucky weekly winners will be selected throughout the rest of the year.

The sweepstakes will start on September 11, 2010 and last until December 31, 2010.

BARILLA'S MEALTIME MOMENTS CONTEST

Families making mealtime more meaningful have an opportunity to share their story with other families nationwide, online at www.ShareTheTable.com. Stories will feature how families connect around the table with successes and struggles highlighted. Each week, the winning dinnertime story will earn a month's worth of groceries to help keep the family meal tradition going strong!

The Mealtime Moments contest will start on September 11, 2010 and last until December 31, 2010.

About the Barilla Group

Barilla, originally established in 1877 as a bread and pasta shop in Parma, Italy, ranks as one of today's top Italian food groups. Barilla leads in the global pasta business, the pasta sauces business in continental Europe, the bakery products business in Italy and the crispbread business in Scandinavia.

Barilla owns 54 production facilities (14 in Italy and 40 outside Italy) and exports to more than 125 countries. Every year, over 2,500,000 tons of food products under the brands of Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Voiello, Pavesi, Alixir, Academia Barilla, Wasa, Harry's (France and Russia), Lieken Urkorn, Golden Toast and Kamps (Germany), Misko (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), Yemina and Vesta (Mexico), are featured on dining tables all over the world.

Barilla has become one of the world's most esteemed food companies and is recognized worldwide as a symbol of Italian know-how by respecting its longstanding traditional principles and values, considering employees a fundamental asset and developing leading-edge production systems.

For more information, please visit: www.barillagroup.com and www.BarillaUS.com.

About Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA)

MOWAA is the oldest and largest organization in the United States representing those who provide meal services to people in need.  MOWAA works toward the social, physical, nutritional, and economic betterment of vulnerable Americans. MOWAA provides the tools and information its programs need to make a difference in the lives of others.

MOWAA is a Member organization, and its Membership comprises of Senior Nutrition Programs in the United States.  MOWAA Member programs throughout the country provide nutritious meals and other nutrition services to men and women who are elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, or at risk. These services significantly improve the quality of life and health of the individuals they serve and postpone early institutionalization.

As a national organization, MOWAA focuses on those issues that can best assist its Member programs in achieving their individual missions of providing quality meals and nutrition services to as many vulnerable people as possible in the most efficient and effective manner, all "so no senior goes hungry"®.  To learn more visit: www.mowaa.org

SOURCE Barilla