Life, On the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat
Achatz, Grant. Kokonas, Nick. Life, On The Line: A Chef's Story Of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, And Redefining The Way We Eat. New York, NY : Gotham Books, 2011. Print.
Grant Achatz, the force behind Chicago's Alinea, poignantly relays his experiences, both triumphant and devastating, of when he was diagnosed with Stage IV mouth cancer. The doctors' solution? Cut out his tongue. But how can a chef do that, even for his own survival, when the tongue is the source of all creation? My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals
Dunea, Melanie. My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs And Their Final Meals : Portraits, Interviews, And Recipes. New York : Bloomsbury ; 2007. Print.
Beautiful images are combined with chef narratives in this stunning "coffee table book." What would outrageous, thrill seeking chef Anthony Bourdain eat for his last meal?...And, WHY is he photographed in the nude? Read My Last Supper to find out the answers to these questions and to discover what the world's greatest chefs would want to savor during their last meal. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food and Life
Kingsolver, Barbara. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year Of Food And Life. New York : Harper Perennial, 2007. Print.
When Barbara Kingsolver's family moved from the deserts of Arizona to the fresh, verdant green lands of America's Appalachia region they were able to do something Barbara had only ever dreamed about: eat fresh food that either they or their neighbors had produced. Making a commitment to eat only what was in season for an entire year, this is a family memoir of a daunting, yet plausible and satisfying task, with contributions and recipes from Kingsolver's husband and two daughters. Truly a family effort in living from garden to table. The Farm: Rustic Recipes for a Year of Incredible Food
Knauer, Ian. The Farm: Rustic Recipes For A Year Of Incredible Food. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.
A beautiful cookbook full of stunning food photography and simple recipes to help you live from farm to table...or in my case, from farmer's market to table. I have not tried any of the recipes in this cookbook yet, but they look wonderful. |
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French Milk
Knisley, Lucy. French Milk. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2008. Print.
Lucy's first travelogue is about a trip she took with her mother to the City of Lights, Paris. While food and recipes don't play quite as prominent a role in this graphic memoir of Lucy's Parisian adventures with her mother, it is still ever present, always lingering in the background, waiting to entice and bond mother and daughter. Lucy uses her vibrant illustrative style and tender storytelling to share with the stories of a trip that cemented the already firm relationship between her and her mom.
Lucy's first travelogue is about a trip she took with her mother to the City of Lights, Paris. While food and recipes don't play quite as prominent a role in this graphic memoir of Lucy's Parisian adventures with her mother, it is still ever present, always lingering in the background, waiting to entice and bond mother and daughter. Lucy uses her vibrant illustrative style and tender storytelling to share with the stories of a trip that cemented the already firm relationship between her and her mom.
Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses
Mileti, Meredith. Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses. New York : Kensington, 2011. Print.
After Mira finds her husband having an affair with the maitre d in the offices of the restaurant she opened with him, her seemingly perfect restauranteur life is thrown into a tailspin. Leaving her beloved New York City with her daughter in tow, Mira moves back home to Philadelphia to reassess her life, her desire to cook food for others, and whether or not she still has the drive and desire to strike out on her own and create a name for herself in the foodie world.
After Mira finds her husband having an affair with the maitre d in the offices of the restaurant she opened with him, her seemingly perfect restauranteur life is thrown into a tailspin. Leaving her beloved New York City with her daughter in tow, Mira moves back home to Philadelphia to reassess her life, her desire to cook food for others, and whether or not she still has the drive and desire to strike out on her own and create a name for herself in the foodie world.
Julie & Julia
Powell, Julie. Julie And Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. New York : Little, Brown And Co., 2005. Print.
What happens when one faces a quarter-life crisis in the wake of 9/11, when life isn't as it should be and the world is in upheaval? Well, one turns to Julia Child and blogging...of course! Read along as Julie Powell describes her triumphs and failures of working her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in sublime detail. You'll be rooting for her to accomplish her goal of cooking her way through the cookbook, no matter how silly her mother thinks this might be.
What happens when one faces a quarter-life crisis in the wake of 9/11, when life isn't as it should be and the world is in upheaval? Well, one turns to Julia Child and blogging...of course! Read along as Julie Powell describes her triumphs and failures of working her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in sublime detail. You'll be rooting for her to accomplish her goal of cooking her way through the cookbook, no matter how silly her mother thinks this might be.
Tender at the Bone
Reichl, Ruth. Tender At The Bone: Growing Up At The Table. New York : Broadway Books, 1999. Print.
Much like Lucy Knisley, Ruth Reichl grew up surrounded by food...but not usually the gourmet variety Lucy was used to. Ruth discovered the beauty and power food can possess away from home, in her early twenties, and she transformed from the daughter of a "food poisoner" into one of the most powerful food critics writing today. Read her first memoir to learn of how her fervent, steadfast love of food grew and the explorations it took her on.
Much like Lucy Knisley, Ruth Reichl grew up surrounded by food...but not usually the gourmet variety Lucy was used to. Ruth discovered the beauty and power food can possess away from home, in her early twenties, and she transformed from the daughter of a "food poisoner" into one of the most powerful food critics writing today. Read her first memoir to learn of how her fervent, steadfast love of food grew and the explorations it took her on.
Chef!
Chef!. Dir. John Birkin. BBC, 1993, 1994, 1996. Television.
BBC's mid-90s sitcom of a chef absolutely obsessed with perfection and attaining Michelin stars is a pure treat. Lenny Henry plays Chef Gareth Blackstock, chef extraordinaire in a quaint gourmet restaurant in the English countryside. He must try to keep his cool while working with and educating highly inept sous chefs and kitchen staff, but in the end, he always brings the best out in them...or more often, THEY bring the best out in him. Henry's portrayal of this ego maniacal chef may have paved the way for current self-obsessed and hard hitting chefs, like Gordon Ramsay, being socially acceptable.
BBC's mid-90s sitcom of a chef absolutely obsessed with perfection and attaining Michelin stars is a pure treat. Lenny Henry plays Chef Gareth Blackstock, chef extraordinaire in a quaint gourmet restaurant in the English countryside. He must try to keep his cool while working with and educating highly inept sous chefs and kitchen staff, but in the end, he always brings the best out in them...or more often, THEY bring the best out in him. Henry's portrayal of this ego maniacal chef may have paved the way for current self-obsessed and hard hitting chefs, like Gordon Ramsay, being socially acceptable.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Dir. David Gelb. Preferred Contact, 2012. Film.
A documentary of the world's greatest sushi chef, [then] 85-year-old Jiro Ono. Jiro admits he wasn't always the best dad to his two sons, both who have apprenticed with him, in trying to attain sushi perfection, but his desire to work his hardest for his craft and always create nirvana on a plate is admirable and endearing. A truly engaging and entertaining documentary into the mind and life of one of the world's greatest living chefs.
A documentary of the world's greatest sushi chef, [then] 85-year-old Jiro Ono. Jiro admits he wasn't always the best dad to his two sons, both who have apprenticed with him, in trying to attain sushi perfection, but his desire to work his hardest for his craft and always create nirvana on a plate is admirable and endearing. A truly engaging and entertaining documentary into the mind and life of one of the world's greatest living chefs.
Spinning Plates
Spinning Plates. Dir. Joseph Levy. Chaos Theory Entertainment, 2013. Film.
3 restaurants. 3 cities. 3 totally different experiences. Follow the camera and travel between a humble, mom and pop hometown restaurant in Iowa, a gleaming mecca of gastronomical ingenuity in Chicago, and a struggling Mexican cantina in Arizona. The people and eateries are all extremely different, but they all have one thing in common: chefs and staff who long to make a meal of love for their patrons.
3 restaurants. 3 cities. 3 totally different experiences. Follow the camera and travel between a humble, mom and pop hometown restaurant in Iowa, a gleaming mecca of gastronomical ingenuity in Chicago, and a struggling Mexican cantina in Arizona. The people and eateries are all extremely different, but they all have one thing in common: chefs and staff who long to make a meal of love for their patrons.
Chef
Chef. Dir. Jon Favreau. Aldamisa Entertainment, 2014. Film.
What happens when a once up and coming chef receives a horrible online review for only making the same old boring dishes day in and day out? Well, he goes crazy. Chef Carl Caspar feels trapped in his current job, his boss only wants him to make his classic dishes, and in a fit of impetuous rage, he flees the restaurant that has paid his bills and strikes out to pursue renewed foodie creativity in a...food truck. Along the way he also learns that his son he has oft neglected while rising through the restaurant echelons is the perfect sous chef and social media mogul, who brings Carl's talent and food to millions.
What happens when a once up and coming chef receives a horrible online review for only making the same old boring dishes day in and day out? Well, he goes crazy. Chef Carl Caspar feels trapped in his current job, his boss only wants him to make his classic dishes, and in a fit of impetuous rage, he flees the restaurant that has paid his bills and strikes out to pursue renewed foodie creativity in a...food truck. Along the way he also learns that his son he has oft neglected while rising through the restaurant echelons is the perfect sous chef and social media mogul, who brings Carl's talent and food to millions.