The reasons I have selected this as one of my Treasure Cookbooks? It’s all in the video!…
Treasure Books
The books below are the books I treasure. Some are the ones that stand the ‘test of time’ in some cases or they are the books that entered my hands at the perfect time for where I was with life at that juncture. Perhaps from time to time one will be here that might be a book that would not have the same ability to impact me at this age as they did at the age I read them. I don’t think I’ll comment on them in that way for who knows how they might affect anyone who is inspired to read, (or re-read) them after glancing over my words here about them. My book club is not about the most recent books published. I trust that the New York Times or Kirkus Reviews will bring you plenty in that regard. They are, like I said, the books that I treasure. And some are relatively new to me but they have caused me to treasure already. The first here are long time treasures but as we mosey along look for recent novels, historical books, poetry books and yes … cookbooks.
Category: Treasure Books
TREASURE BOOK, ‘GRAMERCY TAVERN’
Chef Tom Colicchio was the Chef/Partner of ‘Gramercy Tavern’ in NYC when he invited me to come up and do a “Share Our Strength” dinner with him in September of 1999. We’d been to the beautiful restaurant and the more casual ‘Tavern’ side a few time by then and were…
‘THE WAY WE COOK’, SAVEUR
I believe it was in 1994 that Saveur Magazine began publication. I was in the midst of beginning to write a cookbook for Random House titled, “New World Cuisine”. While writing a book it is very hard to do almost anything else. It is simply way too time consuming doing…
TREASURE BOOK SERIES: STAFF MEALS
The video expresses much about why I consider this a treasure book. Let me prelude it by saying when you are a restaurant owner or the chef of one this book is a godsend. We know how tough this business is. The general populace has learned much about this over…
‘THE FOUR SEASONS’, A TREASURE BOOK
I bought this book or it was given to me while working with Charlie Trotter and Carrie Nahabedian in Lake Forest, Il. at ‘Sinclair’s’. If it was a gift it probably came from Gordon Sinclair who owned the restaurant along with businessman Marshall Field IV. Gordon was great at sharing…
TREASURE BOOK, ‘WHY WE EAT WHAT WE EAT’
Outside of cookbooks the two books on cooking that transformed my thinking and thus my life as a cook were the one I’m featuring here, “Why We Eat What We Eat” by Raymond Sokolov and “Culture and Cuisine” by Jean-Françoise Revel. I also love, “On Food and Cooking” by Harold…
A TREASURE BOOK, “LUTÈCE”, By André Soltner
The beloved Chef who wrote this ‘Treasure Book’ I love passed away in January of this year. As the video portrays I have memories and things I want to share with you. His Memorial which I was invited to was quite recent. The turnout included many of the top chefs…
TREASURE BOOK, ‘CHEZ NICO’
If one were to take a guess naming a chef operating in England as one of first ones to receive the ultimate Three Star Status by the Michelin Guide, I would bet very few would know it was the person I’m featuring today. Many might guess or know Marco Pierre…
A TREASURE BOOK, “JOE BEEF, THE ART OF LIVING”
Even the subtitle is appropriately renegade, ‘A Cookbook of Sorts’. The Canadian trio of authors on this book are David McMillan, Frédéric Morin and Meredith Erickson. Their restaurant has been hailed by many including my occasional travel buddy the great, late Tony Bourdain. You need to go to or be…
“Culture and Cuisine”. The Seeds of Fusion!
I purchased this book at a shop on Fleming Street in Key West in February of 1988. I was part owner of my first restaurant. It was called “MIRA”. I was also in the middle of a huge amount of culinary self-analysis as to what I was going to do…
Treasure Book: The Essential Cooking of Michel Bras
It was not originally on the itinerary at all, but as the months drew closer to our going Charlie came to one of his famously resolute decisions and told Steve Greystone, “We’re going to add in Michel Bras. Norman can’t go to France without dining there!” With that he pulled…
Treasure Book, “The New James Beard”
As I have told the story before the very first cookbook I bought was, “Theory and Practice of Good Cooking” by the one and only James Beard. That was in 1978. Four years later he released, “The New James Beard”. It is of note that his editor was the superb…
CITY CUISINE, A TREASURE BOOK
Way back before the two dynamos named Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger became nationally known as ‘The Too Hot Tamales” they were still somewhere pre-California. I want to go from just memory land here ‘pre Google’. The folks who were affecting the industry had to do it from a…
A TRIO OF SAVEUR COOKBOOKS
A few months ago I covered one of the Saveur books in the series of three. I so loved that particular one I went online and bought the other two. So now I have the trifecta of Saveur America, France and Italy! I believe it was in 1994 that Saveur…
My Treasure Books: James Beard
When people see my cookbook library I don’t think many realize how humbly and singularly it began. But I recall it with crystalline clarity. The year was 1978. I had been cooking for seven years. But … I had not gotten what you would call serious about it as a…
The Science Wizard of Cooking; Harold McGee
During the mid 80’s blossomed a time when almost every serious chef in the land about whispered the genius of the man who wrote the book titled above. While I can’t claim to being a science nut one did not have to be in falling in love with this book…