Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

I think this may be the first graphic novel I've written about here. I'm not a graphic novel fanatic. I like what I like. And I find with graphic novels - that sometimes I like the art and hate the story or vice versa. And then after reading some titles, there is my occasional thought of why did they choose to make this book a graphic novel? It is a lot of work!!  Words and pictures! But sometimes those elements can be a powerful combination.

With my previous experiences in mind, I look at graphic novel memoirs with an skeptical eye. But then I discovered Lucy Knisley's latest book Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. I was immediately charmed by the art - quirky, colorful, not too stylized - so I was hopeful while flipping through the pages. And then I read her story.  She tells the tale of growing up with a foodie family in New York. Mom worked at Dean and Deluca, then went on to catering and farmer's markets. Dad was a gourmand. Food was seen as a powerful element in their family, sometimes bringing them together when other forces (time, distance, divorce) separated them.

Her chapters show various stages of her life and the food dishes that have left a place in her timeline, and she has chosen to share with us, the reader, her experiences. And some of them are awkward and funny - aren't all teenage years?

And then there are the recipes. I really thought the recipe graphics after each chapter were great - even when I knew that there was no chance I would ever make the dish. (I think that Knisley would make a great cookbook illustrator!) To me, she brought across the idea that cooking was fun.

So I love this book. But I love the art - it appeals to me, and her story is familiar to anyone who has read a few foodie memoirs. Or those who remember an awkward adolescence and trying to find your place in the world.. And then there is the Chicago angle, that was a surprise. But most important thing (to me) when reading a contemporary memoir is - are you still interested in finding out what is happening currently with that writer? Are you going to look them up? I was still interested, and I did here.

It is a fun frothy read. And I'm looking forward to her other works.

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City

David Lebovitz was a pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. He decided at one point to move to Paris. His adjustment to living in a foreign country became the material for his blog. His book, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City is based on some posts from that blog and more.

While Lebovitz offers some lovely recipes and advice on where to go in Paris, the book is really not a travelogue.  It is more of a expat's love letter to his adopted city, even when he thinks it is a wacky place.  Some points of fun: he earns more respect from his neighborhood vendors after it is found out he is a pastry chef, how customer service is non existent in certain shops, giant French supermarkets vs local markets, and the joys of French cheese and chocolate.

Written with gentle humor, Lebovitz encourages the reader to come over to his side of the pond to experience it all for themselves.  Or at least buy some French cheese and chocolate to munch on while reading it! A Francophile's dream and a fun read.

The Love Goddess' Cooking School

When Holly's Grandmother Camilla dies, she inherits her business - a cooking school, and her house, but does she inherit her 'second sight'? In The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate, that is the question her small Maine town neighbors want to know. But Holly has had problems in her own life, and can't make a marinara sauce. She's not too sure that continuing the cooking school is such a good idea after all. But when she has four students sign up for classes, she decides to give it a try.

Senate does a great job at creating a small town community where everyone knows about everyone else's business. And Holly discovers that her grandmother's life was not all joy and roses. Filled with great characters and greater descriptions of food (you will be craving Italian after this one - trust me), the reader will enjoy reading about Holly's struggles in the kitchen, glimpses of Camilla's strength, and their cooking students growth, both in the kitchen and in their personal lives.

Makes one want to take an Italian cooking class if they are going to be that cool. A fun and frothy read.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China

I discovered this book from an excerpt in The Best Food Writing 2008. I was impressed by the writing and thought the concept of going to a university in China was pretty bold for an English girl. But that what was thought I learned from the excerpt. But when I actually got the whole book, it was an even better story!

Fuchsia Dunlop went to China to study Chinese policy on ethnic minorities, on a British Council grant in 1994. She was working at the BBC. She ended up at Sichuan University in the foreign students wing. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing there. Her Chinese was too poor to do scholarly work, and the topic she had chosen was a "subject fraught with political sensitivities." She ended up writing down her impressions of the food. She had thought about being a professional cook, but that is not where her path lead her. But here, she finds herself curious about Chengdu and the region's food, it's cooks and their kitchens and she tours around asking questions, making friends and writing down recipes. And because China was just beginning to open itself up the world, Fuchsia and her fellow students are a curiosity to the locals too.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China is more than just a book about food. It is a story of finding one's place in the world - even if that happens to be China, and creating a life. It is a traveler's journey and Dunlop writes with insight and humor about a time and place that has changed irrevocably since she has been there. And then there is the food. She writes with such knowledge and discription you will be craving Chinese food there after. Makes you wish you went with her. And after reading the book, I guess I did. A very good read.

Colonial Foodies

The Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized American Cuisine By Dave DeWitt


This is a great and concise title on how our founding fathers really were the first foodies in the land. Jefferson and Washington were plantation owners and experimented with crops and vegetables in their particular states. Franklin spent time in France as the U.S. ambassador and definitely enjoyed himself while there! He also was a early supporter of corn. Jefferson used his time in France to discover new plants and vegetables and had some of them brought back to Monticello.

This book goes into detail about food (and drink) during colonial times and how the tavern really helped the growth of the democracy. There is also a lengthy section with recreated recipes. There is a very detailed appendix with historic colonial foodie sites to visit. And perhaps best of all - an extremely detailed bibliography for more books both on Washington, Jefferson and Franklin, but food and living during colonial times. A fun read.

Foodies, This Title is for You!

I'll start by saying right off that I have never had the pleasure of eating at Alinea, and I do not think I have the money to do so either. With that said, let me tell you about chef Grant Achatz's memoir Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat by Grant and his business partner Nick Kokonas.

Grant grew up in Michigan in a family that had been in the resturant business a long time. He attended culinary school right out of high school and was working for the chef, Thomas Keller, at the French Laundry by the time he was 22 years old.  Let's talk about drive, here people. I think you can say he has it. His drive led him to work at Trio in Chicago area. One of his best customers was Kokonas. But he really wanted to try something further and the ideas for Alinea were born. 

That is where Kokonas comes in. He partners up with Achatz in his restaurant venture. And he tells his version of the "we are going to build a restaurant" story. And they do. And Achatz and Alinea win acclaim and awards. But he is also diagnosed with tongue cancer. How can a chef taste with out his tongue? 

So it is the story of a vision, food techniques, a partnership, a theatrical presentation (I'm sorry, opening night of a restaurant reminds me of a theater production), a sickness and the drive to get the most out of life while you're still here.  And as a book - it works. Fact is stranger than fiction sometimes. And it seems to have a happy ending - they opened up their latest restaurant venture - Next - and Grant is in remission (I'm sorry, I can't say cancer free- it is bad luck to me.)

Are they perfect people?  No, but they have a unique story to tell and it is done well. So for foodies (and other readers) who like books about challenges and struggles and of course - food, this might be the one for you. A very good read.

Delizia! : The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food

Hmm, my blog seems to have morphed into food and fiction! Seriously I do read more - I'm just behind in the blogging! But brace yourself for some pasta cravings...

Delizia! : The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food by John Dickie is a foodie book as well as an explanation of the growth of the city states of Italy. Each chapter focuses on a city or region and the how that city contributed (and during what time period ) to the 'national' cuisine.

Fun facts you can bring out at parties:

- French food was highly influential in Italy during the 1700s and 1800s. There was a leaflet campaign "insulting the wealthy for adopting French eating habits."

- Rome was the gastronomic capital of Italy during the Renaissance.

- Bologna had a Guild of Sausage - Makers fight to keep their standards for making mortadella.

- Marco Polo may have claimed to have brought over noodles from China (very much debated in this book) but what he did bring was spices and heavily spiced dishes were considered good for digestion. This trend lasted until the 1700s.

- The Margherita pizza is named for Queen Margherita of Savoy. While she visiting in Naples in the 1880s, she asked to try pizza and she was given three different kinds. The she one chose to eat was the one with basil and tomatoes. It was eventually named for her.

I love the ease with which Dickie combines his stories about food and history. I think this book would be a great one to read before taking a trip to Italy. Or a trip to your favorite Italian market. A fun, frothy and yummy read indeed!

Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table

Did you ever have a book that made you just want to put it down and run into the kitchen to make a dish? Or in some cases to go trotting to the telephone and call for take out? This is that book. It made me go and make a gumbo immediately after finishing it. I suppose if I were super wealthy I could just make a reservation to go down to New Orleans for a weekend. Sounds like fun to me. A trip to just eat! How decadent!

Sara Roahen has a way with words, food and the people who make it. Her book, Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table is perfect for anyone who is interested in the food culture of New Orleans. And she is a Midwestern raised gal - an outsider to the town - and she admits it. She was there for several years during her husband's time in medical school and she wrote a food column for a local paper. This allowed her to look at their food culture from a different perspective.

Each chapter takes us on a unique trip to look at gumbo, crawfish, pho (there are a lot of Vietnamese fishermen in the area), chicory, and Monday red beans and rice among other classic and traditional ethnic dishes. She brings us the story of the wonderful characters and cooks who are carrying on the traditions of the food. For example, the section she devotes to the family who has a huge neighborhood St. Joseph's Day table is just touching. And she makes the reader care and worry about this family when they can not be found after Hurricane Katrina.

I guess that is what is also special about this book. Roahen gives us a before and after Hurricane Katrina view of this food culture. We find out what restaurants have rebuilt and what cooks have been lost to New Orleans' memories. She's a very good writer and this is another great book that I discovered from a excerpt that was in the Best Food Writing of 2008. A very fun read, but don't forget the red beans and rice, or gumbo or ...

97 Orchard : An Edible History

97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman has gotten some very nice reviews and I can see why - it is a great book! Ziegelman takes five families of immigrants (Germans, Irish, Italians and Eastern European Jews) and looks at their food culture that they brought with them and how it changes and adapts to American life.

It is fascinating to take a look back at how things used to be done and what conditions that they had to live through. (How brave our ancestors were to make their way here!) It also is interesting to see what impact they had on the American palate and how they influenced "American" cuisine.

Some interesting points of interest -

- Ireland had a well balanced diet but because of the land laws changing - smaller plots, and their growing dependency on potatoes, by the time they arrived in America during the famine, they really did not have a national cuisine anymore. They could assimilate their food culture much faster into the land of abundance.

- Ellis Island eventually had a kosher kitchen and dinning to feed the newly arrived Jews but not til around 1914.

- Schmaltz was originally was not derived from chicken but from geese. As chicken breeding improved - and they were cheaper - chicken fat took the place of geese fat.

- It is interesting to see how far and fast that German food was assimilated into the New York culture of the time.

Ziegelman takes each family's story and tries to tell it through the limited documents that are available. But she uses their tales and expands them to their neighborhood of the time (which changes with the various waves of immigration) and their cooking traditions of the time. A great book for history lovers, and foodies alike. A very good read.

Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer

Tim Stark did not start out to become a tomato farmer. It was more of a casual obsession with growing tomatoes in his New York brownstone. It reminded him of growing up near farm land Pennsylvania. When it came time to expand his crop, that is where he headed and had to deal with the memories that he had left behind. Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer is that story.

Stark has a way with stories - each chapter takes you forward and back to his work of growing tomatoes for the Greenmarket in New York City, trying to create his business, and his memories of growing up in farm lands - but not in a farm family. And after each chapter you are eager to read more about what happened next and how his small business has had setbacks and personnel changes. As the business grows - he sells other vegetables and peppers (one of the best chapters is his story of peppers and customers at the Greenmarket) and soon his produce makes its way into some of the finest restaurant kitchens in NYC.

And if you are a tomato person - and believe that one of the best things in life is a delicious home grown tomato - this book is for you. An excellent read that I discovered while reading an exerpt from the Best Food Writing of 2009. I'm glad I took the plunge. A very good read.

Best Food Writing 2009

Collections of non-fiction essays don't sound very hip and cool. They sound like something you're forced to read for Lit class. But if you have an interest in the topic or the theme, they can be great fun and a neat way to discover new authors. If you are an espiring foodie, or just concerned about what you eat, than this is the collection for you. Best Food Writing 2009 is edited by Holly Hughes and I am glad I finally checked it out.

Besides being filled with local authors Monica Eng and Mark Caro from the Chicago Tribune, there are pieces from Ruth Reichl, Calvin Trillian and Marcella Hazan. Some highlights from a great group of essays are: Kate Liesener's on the joy of Marshmallow Fluff and how it is made, Lettie Teague on Wine Scams (very interesting and apparently not that hard to do), Rachel Hutton on the celebrity of Spam, Hugh Garvey on how Tokyo is the cocktail capital of the world (who knew?) and Tim Stark on the misunderstood habanero. (In fact, that essay made me read his book that this excerpt was from - more on that later.)

There are essays on the topics of food and the family, resturants and chefs, home cooks, and the joy of eating. Something for everyone. I can hardly wait for the 2010 edition and meanwhile I am going back and hunting down the older editions. A fun read.

Too Many Cooks

Since I led a book discussion group on Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, I have will have a number of titles to share. But this one, Too Many Cooks, I am also having fun listening to the audio book of it. It is set very early in the Nero Wolfe series, and in some ways it reflects the era - 1938 - and in some ways it is ahead of its time.

Wolfe is invited to a special gathering of world renowned chefs. He is the guest of honor. That is probably the only reason he will leave his brownstone in New York and travel to a West Virginia spa where the gathering will take place. The chefs are friendly rivals or are they really? When a chef is found dead and several people have declared their interest in seeing him gone, Wolfe gets himself reluctantly involved in the case.

This book is filled with food references and even *gasp* food recipes! Somehow I do not think that most people will be trying to make Terrapin Maryland, but who knows?

One of the more interesting aspects of this book, as a Nero Wolfe fan, is the fact that Archie seems a bit racist (to our "modern" mindset) when referring to the southern blacks who are the backstage workers and cooks at the spa. (But then he has snarky things to say about the chefs too!) But you have to remember this was written in 1938 when that attitude and the language used would have been common. The notable part is that when Nero Wolfe questions the staff about the murder, he treats them with dignity and civility and eventually ends up defending them from retribution from the local sheriff.

A fun read. And a fun book to listen to!

Favorite line of dialogue that I must use in a conversation sometime -

"I didn't see anybody put you away on a shelf to save up for the lord."

Catching up with Hannah Swensen and the Gang

Following characters through a series sometimes feels like trying to keep up with your distant friends' latest news. Some of the ongoing characters make you laugh. And some will amaze you with the changes in their character or their latest hobbies. But they feel like old pals that you want to spend some more time with. And when it comes down to it - that is the work of the talented skills of the author, who makes her readers enjoy these fictional friends.

Joanne Fluke who writes the Hannah Swensen mysteries series manages to keep her series fresh and full of life with her engaging characters. Hannah is still baking away at her bakery business, The Cookie Jar, and she is still the one most likely to find a dead body in her tiny town of Lake Eden, Minnesota.

In the Key Lime Pie Murder, she finds the dead body at the local county fair and has to waste a lovely Key Lime pie in her discovery. (Disclosure here - I love Key Lime pie and to have it fall to the ground! What a tragedy! What a waste! Sigh!) And she has to sleuth while being a judge for the various baked goods contests, supplying goodies for another booth and getting hooked into being a magician's assistant.

During the Carrot Cake Murder, she's just helping out a friend at one of the biggest family reunions in area. And she manages to find the prodigal relative who reappeared for the reunion, dead in the main building where the festivities are taking place. Talk about problems with the relatives. There are more than a few suspects here.

The latest outing for Hannah is the Cream Puff Murder. She's on a diet with a vengeance - she's trying to fit in a dress her mother ordered for her - and she finds the fitness instructor dead in the gym's jacuzzi. The instructor (a reoccurring character) had a lot of male fans but basically most of the females and wives in town did not care for her. But who took their threats to the next level? And how come most of the police force had to be taken off the case?

Amidst the sleuthing, comes the latest tidbits about Hannah's family, who help her hunt out the latest gossip on the deceased. And we get the updates on her love life (Will she ever make a decision between Norman and Mike? This last book may have a clue!) and her beloved fat cat Moishe. And then there are the recipes. One word. YUM! Can you tell that I like this series? A very good read.

Confections of a Closet Master Baker: A Memoir

Confections of a Closet Master Baker: A Memoir by Gesine Bullock-Prado is not your typical foodie book. Going from Hollywood to a bakery in Vermont might not be the regular career path that everyone takes, but Gesine isn't everyone. She's Sandra Bullock's younger sister and was involved with her production company. But her passion is baking. And that is what kept rearing it's head in La La Land.

Rather then the stories of Hollywood, what I really loved about the book was her stories of growing up in Germany - her mother was an opera singer there, and staying with her relatives. And her German pastries! (Yum! I'm not a big baker - but even I'm encouraged to try some of the easier recipes in here.) When Gesine makes her transition to full time baker, she finds she feels closer to her deceased mother through her memories of baking with her.

I really like the reminiscing in this book and thinks Gesine tells her tale well. Now if I can just get her to send me a batch of macaroons... A good read.

CookOff: Recipe Fever in America

Do you watch eagerly any and all cooking competitions on the Food Network? Do you dream of entering the Pillsbury BakeOff? If so then Amy Sutherland's book Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America is for you. Sutherland captures the history, enthusiasm and a bit of the wackiness that is inherent in these contests that are promoted as being all American. But do these contests really reflect what America eats? Or is this a case of the contestants giving the big food conglomerates what they want? And are they really cooking anyway? Or just assembling ingredients?

Sutherland delves into all those questions and many more as she follows contestants to the Pillsbury, garlic fest and other cook offs and well as a couple chili competitions. Just who are these people who compete? Some are what they call "contesters" people who have been doing this for quite a while. (Pillsbury has limits now on how many years you can compete at the contest - three!) Some are fresh faced newcomers just thrilled to be at their first contest. Most of the branded contests have women as the majority of their contestants. Men on the other hand dominate the chili and BBQ contests.

Sutherland has a great way of making these folks come alive in her writing. And she shows them to be very human with all their foibles, humor and passion. Most of these people love food and love to be creative in the kitchen. And it shows. Check out the mania and maybe you too will compete. A very entertaining read.

Monsieur Pamplemousse - A Gastronomic Sleuth

The world knows author Michael Bond for his creation of Paddington Bear. But have you heard of his other literary creation for adults - Monsieur Pamplemousse? Monsieur Pamplemousse is a man of many talents. He was on the National Police force - but there was that chorus girls scandal in Paris (but no specifics - hmmm). He is now working undercover for Le Guide - the premier French publication which rates restaurants and food establishments throughout France. He brings along his dog Pomme Frites, on his food excursions in French countryside. He is a bit annoyed when his much awaited special dinner, is served with a fake human head. Has this renowned restaurant gone down hill? Mon dieu!

This series of adult books are bawdy bits of fun. Is it the French? Or Mr. Bond's quirky sense of humor? These are characters to be savored and enjoyed. Even Pomme Frites' has something to say. The mysteries are solved in the end, but the wacky winding and funny road it took to get there - well, c'est la vie. Definitely fun and frothy.

So far I've read:
Monsieur Pamplemousse
Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Secret Mission

Traveling with Carolyn Blue

Sometimes when you find a "new" mystery series you get the urge to run out and read all the books in order, right away, because you are obsessed with the characters, theme or the setting. And because you are reading a series, you might shortly discover that the author might have a "formula" or "pattern" in their books. And the books might all seem similar. This is what is known as a genre, folks! (Some people may say there are only 6 stories - just told over and over and over again!) And in crime/mystery fiction somebody usually solves a murder/puzzle/crime. The art is in creating scenarios and characters that the reader wants to come back to.

I have been whipping through Nancy Fairbanks' books with the food writer/academics wife/mom Carolyn Blue. I had read the first one for it's New Orleans connection a while ago (see early posting). But now I needed to read her books about traveling to France - Death a L'Orange and French Fried. (And now I've been sucked into reading them all!) And travel we did. One book is set in the city of Lyons, the other in Paris and the surrounding countryside on a tour with a bunch of not so nice academics.

We can identify with Carolyn because she is an underestimated sleuth. She's the nondescript over 40+ lady who is supposed to stay in the background. But she doesn't and that is when she gets in to trouble or when the humor begins. In Chocolate Quake, she ends up on the back of a motorcycle to go interview a guy in a pool hall nicknamed Spider. Holy Guacamole has Mrs. Blue crossing the Mexican border by her hometown of El Paso with a female ex-vice cop and ends up being her partner in bounty hunting. (Pretty darn funny scene.)

I like reading travel narratives and this is really what these mysteries are about. (And it is a cheap way to travel!) Carolyn talks about and notices the food, but then that is her specialty and profession. She is my kind of traveler - looking at the cultural aspects of the area while having studied the history of the town etc. That is how I travel - which may be why I enjoy these so much. Are these realistic? Well - the travel part is pretty real - and she exposes the reader to sights that they may not have know about. It is a travel guide? No - but it is a heck of a good read. I'm up to the Mozzarella title and having a fun frothy time. A fun read with some quirky characters. Enjoy.


Crime Brulee
Truffled Feathers
Death a L’Orange
Chocolate Quake
The Perils of Paella
Holy Guacamole
Mozzarella Most Murderous
Three-Course Murder
Bon Bon Voyage
French Fried
Turkey Flambe

More Home Cooking

What can one say about Laurie Colwin's More Home Cooking? Bright, well composed essays on a variety of food topics with cunning recipes stashed in between the start and finish. The joys of gingerbread - got it. The raspberry addict - got it. The love of roast chicken - got it. The pleasures of simple but good food - got it.

She makes the reader want to run home and make some simple but elegant dish. Such zest of life, such honest enthusiasm, humor and love of food. Such fun to read. A very good read.

P.S. Read her first one - Home Cooking, too!

McIlhenny's Gold: How a Louisiana Family Built the Tabasco Empire

Jeffery Rothfeder's book McIlhenny's Gold: How a Louisiana Family Built the Tabasco Empire is not just a book about a business. It is a book about a family - the McIlhenny's, a place - Avery Island, Louisiana, and a time - the Civil War reconstruction era. Rothfeder does an excellent job of explaining how the product Tabasco - has been intertwined since the beginning with these three.

The business was begun as a post war enterprise. It grew to engulf the island - which is also home to salt mines. It helped create one of the first "company" towns. And it helped change the culinary culture as the appreciation for hot foods has grown. Tabasco has become an icon.

The McIlhenny family is full of bankers, naturalists, and soldiers and their family-run company has, in some ways, become an extension of themselves. Rothfeder does a nice job keeping the story going through the decades. An interesting story of history, food and a family run business. Don't blame me if you run out and get some hot sauce. A very good read.

Thin is the New Happy

Thin is the New Happy: A Memoir by Valerie Frankel is a thought provoking book. Frankel who is a prolific writer of magazine articles, Chick Lit fiction, Young Adult fiction and a few non-fiction titles, has her work cut out for her when she decides to explore her obsession with body image. She is brought to this self discovery when she realizes that her daughter is the age she was when she started dieting. At 11, Frankel started down the road of weight loss and lack of self esteem about her body weight. Having a mother who focused on it, didn't help either. Frankel takes the brave step of exploring her past and changing her future.

Frankel is a funny quirky writer on her best days, and she brings those skills to play here as well. Certain passages of the book will hit too close to home for many women, and others will bring you tears with her self effacing humor. She compares her story to other women, and finds that she is not alone in the body image struggle. But she is determined to conquer her demons and not pass them down to her daughters.

Part of this book is memoir, part of it is self help too. She reveals her past bluntly and with humor. (Sometimes however, with contemporary memoirs, I find myself saying "Too Much Information!" here.) But she does triumph. No, it is not instantaneous. It is a struggle; within her family, her professional life, and with herself. A good and inspirational read.