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…
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
“PEPPERS” (The HOT kind)! A TREASURE BOOK
I was given this big, lavishly illustrated book for my birthday in July of 1987. It was quite different than most of my books in that this was a fantastic merging of artwork, (done by the author Jean Andrews), food history and recipes. Her painting and drawings are reminiscent of…
The Essentials of Cooking: A Treasure Book
This ‘Treasure Book’ by James Petersen takes on us on a family route more than many. For it was in this book that I helped our son, Justin. Backstory. He grew up in the business as do many of the children of people I share this industry with. He was…
THE SLANTED DOOR; A TREASURE BOOK
Somewhere in the vault or perhaps in the U.M. Collection that is under my name at the Otto G. Richter Library there lies a (as I remember it across the fields of time) a typewritten single page menu on baby blue paper that has the words, “The Slanted Door” at…
JEREMIAH TOWER; MY TREASURE BOOK SERIES
The first time I met him in person I was speechless for a few moments. That is something that doesn’t happen very often. I was thrilled a few years later when I was invited to cook a dinner for the ‘Tenth Anniversary of Food Arts Magazine” at The Plaza Hotel…
GOURMET MAGAZINE TREASURE BOOK
When I was still just coming up in the world of cooking I was, like just about everyone else in those kitchens living (barely) paycheck to paycheck. Traveling abroad was a fantasy land. But I did live in a pretty cool town to ply my trade in. Key West. While…
Tapas; A Treasure Book
In 2004 we opened a sprawling restaurant in Coral Gables. I knew we needed to be quite a bit different than my original restaurant both in concept and price points. This would be a more casual, boisterous place with lunch and dinner as well as a market within the 10K…
Escoffier: A Guide to Haute Cuisine
This book might seem terribly dated to some of the more recent generations. But for those of us seeking an education and an escape route out of being a grunt labor line cook sweating one’s ass off in a Key West, (zero air-conditioning) kitchen it finally occurred to me that…
The Zuni Café Cookbook ‘Treasure Book’
Hello Fellow Book Lovers! I won’t need to add much here. The video is going to do that. I spoke for a moment about the Mount Rushmore of California restaurants. To correct a miss that occurred to me moments after this taping I will add another amazing California restaurant of…
Brazil, A Cook’s Tour by Christopher Idone
Living in Key West during the very early part of my life and cooking career the influences that were powerful were Cuban first and then Bahamian and then Southern. It created the foundation that started me off on what I have come to call, “New World Cuisine”. But when life…
Santi Santamaria, The Gentle Genius of San Celoni
It all began with a conversation in an espresso house in New Orleans with my two great friends Charlie Trotter and Emeril Lagasse. They said, “You must come and see “The Pope” with us”. I knew they didn’t mean the Holy Pontiff in Rome they meant Chef Frédy Girardet in…
The Cooking of Southwest France by Paula Wolfert; Treasure Book
Paula Wolfert (born 1938) is an American author of nine books on cooking and the winner of numerous cookbook awards including what is arguably the top honor given in the food world: The James Beard Foundation Medal For Lifetime Achievement. A specialist in Mediterranean food, she has written extensively on…
ANDREA NGUYEN on ‘DUMPLINGS’!
I have been fan of cookbook author and cooking teacher Andrea Nguyen for years. Something clicked in me long ago when it came to the cuisine of Vietnam. My first mentor on that vast and nuanced cuisine was Nicole Routhier. I remain a dedicated admirer and a friend of hers….
THE COOKING OF DANIEL BOULUD
In 1997 we published our third cookbook, “Norman’s New World Cuisine” with Random House. It came about due to the combination of my friendship with (and ‘mutual adoration society’ member) Maida Heatter and the legendary editor Jason Epstein. I was very lucky to have such a proponents of my cooking….
MADHUR JAFFREY; A TREASURE BOOK
Google this woman’s amazing life for an example of one who has and continues to have an adventure filled life. She was an international movie star while still quite young and living in India, her native country. Then in her 30’s she began to write her cookbooks. Indian cuisine naturally…
Saveur Cooks Authentic American
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…