Loyola alumna Amy Cyrex Sins received an international cookbook award this summer for her book “Ruby Slippers Cookbook: Life, Culture, Family & Food After Katrina.”

Sins, A ’98, won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the Special Award of the Jury category. Her book didn’t fit into the regular categories, like food and wine, because it tells a story.

During Katrina, Sins lived with her husband in Lakeview until eight feet of water flooded their home. In total, her family lost eight homes during the storm and the majority of their family recipes.

“Food and good memories coincide. I started collecting recipes for myself,” Sins said.

She set out on her endeavor at the grocery store. When she saw people with ingredients for dishes, she’d ask them what recipe they were using.

“They had amazing stories of survival and hope. This is the untold story of Hurricane Katrina,” she said.

Local historian Buddy Stall wrote the foreword for Sins’ cookbook. He told her to set a deadline.

She chose the first anniversary of Katrina, which meant her deadline was in nine months.

Publishers rejected her plan. Everyone told her it was impossible.

Sins said she believed all aspiring authors shouldn’t take no for an answer.

Sins used the skills she learned from Loyola’s public relations department to compile her book. She also learned a few new programs to publish her book on her own.

In an e-mail to The Maroon, Robert Thomas, interim director for the School of Mass Communication, said, “Amy was an outstanding PR student and has been working relentlessly to rebuild our city. She is truly a credit to (the School of Mass Communication).”

Authors entered more than 20,000 books in the competition.

Sins flew to Beijing for the awards ceremony. Her book won along with works from Morgan Freeman and Art Smith, Oprah’s chef.

This book is putting a positive spin on Katrina. A portion of the proceeds is going to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. Sins was able to donate about $10,000 last year.

“It didn’t surprise me at all that a portion of the proceeds is going to a program to save the wetlands. Amy was passionate about this cause when she was a student at Loyola,” said Cathy Rogers, public relations professor.

Sins’ book can be purchased at Octavia Books, Barnes and Noble and Borders. Autographed copies of the cookbook can be purchased at http://www.rubyslippersnola.com.

Lee Hudson can be reached at [email protected].