Thursdays with Mom & Michael

In Aspen, Elaine Rosenberg had this idea to host a weekly dinner party inviting ten new guests each week and that is when she met Michael Rueggeberg, the most sought after private chef in town. Thursdays were the only night Michael had available and that is how Thursdays with Mom & Michael became the hottest ticket in a very hot town! Thursdays with Mom & Michael is a sumptuous guide for aspiring hosts and hostesses who want to establish a themed dinner party tradition of their own.

available Autumn 2008 - limited first edition

for pre-orders contact Anita at

A dinner party with Michael and Elaine is a feast for the senses and a balm for the soul... this book is the next best thing to being there.

—Beverly West, Culinarytherapy

Tables that are more than "just another tablescape" and recipes that combine delicious flavors and artful presentation make Thursdays with Mom & Michael a rich resource of thematic ideas and great food.

—Carolyne Roehm, A Passion for Parties

Ultimate hostess Elaine Rosenberg's delight at bringing together friends and family in made-to-order settings combined with Chef Michael Rueggeberg's mouth-watering recipes makes this a must-have for anyone interested in the good life.

—Laura Werlin, Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials

Meet Elaine and Michael

Elaine Rosenberg counts being a wife, mother of four, and grandmother of five among her most important contributions to the world. A graduate of Ohio State and a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Elaine and her husband of 53 years, Marvin, now call Aspen their home. Artist, designer, antique shop owner, consummate hostess and all around super jock, Elaine can be found in between her winter party schedule either hiking up Smuggler or skiing down Ajax before setting out in search of the next fabulous napkin ring, to add just the right accent to her themed tables.

Michael Rueggeberg is the most sought after private chef in Aspen, Colorado. Michael was born in Germany, where he learned a love of food from spending time in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother. From the German Army, to Switzerland, Bavaria, the Cayman Islands, Austria, and on an International Cruise Ship visiting South America, the Caribbean and the United States, Michael’s culinary training and experience circles the globe. Michael met his wife, Christine, in Zermatt, ultimately settling in Aspen where Michael was the Executive Sous Chef at the celebrated Little Nell Hotel and the Executive Chef of the popular Colony Restaurant. Michael and Christine appear in Carolyne Roehm’s book, A Passion for Parties (Broadway.)

Meet Anita Rosenberg

Anita Rosenberg is an artist and a certified Feng Shui consultant. She is also the film writer and director of cult classic chick flicks, Assault of the Killer Bimbos and Modern Girls, as well as a designer with a global line of hand-painted decorative home accessories. Anita has given lectures and taught classes around the world, is a frequently published journalist, and author of the book, The Art of Painted Furniture. She lives and works in Los Angeles and visits Aspen to attend her parents’ fabulous theme parties every chance she gets.

Meet Karl Wolfgang

Karl Wolfgang relocated from Los Angeles to Aspen where he lives and works in an historical mountain cottage that he proudly restored. He spent ten years traveling the world shooting national commercials before setting up shop in the Roaring Fork Valley where he is best known for his innovative covers and fashion shoots for Aspen Magazine. In addition to Karl’s commercial success, he is also a fine art photographer whose conceptual series was exhibited at the Aspen Art Museum. Karl’s photographic eye and distinctive artistic touch made him the perfect collaborator to capture the visual excitement of the Rosenbergs’ party series.