Chefs

This slick, full color book is for reading and looking at the pictures. I've never actually taken it into the kitchen. I wouldn't want to get anything on it. It's beautiful.

Cookbooks like this, while there are some recipes for the home cook, are really designed for dreaming. Lots of the recipes require very sophisticated skills and specialized equipment. But that doesn't mean it's not fun, nonetheless.

The recipes are all from The James Beard Foundation award-winning chefs. There are biographies that tell how the chefs got to be names we recognize. The photographs are gorgeous and the recipes things you want eat, even if you don't want to make them.

review posted 7 August 2004

Nick Stellino is a popular chef on public television and this – his fourth book – is a celebration of the traditions of his native Sicily. Stellino also allows you to experience the warmth of a loving family woven between the recipes.

In Italy, every meal offers an opportunity to celebrate – not just to eat. It never fails that when I eat in an American restaurant I have to repeatedly tell my server I’m not finished. They hover nearby, eager to remove my plate, sometimes even when I’m in the midst of taking a bite. When I eat in a restaurant in Italy, the pace is leisurely – it’s understood I want to enjoy my dinner companions - and my food.

This distinctive difference is apparent in Stellino’s book. The 125 recipes range from simple to complex, but each one embodies the gracious style of eating you’d expect in Italy. Entertaining stories, great preparation tips, color photos and menus make this a great addition to your cookbook shelves.

review posted 27 May 2000

Moosewood Restaurant changed the way Americans viewed vegetarianism. Started in 1973, this Ithaca, New York, restaurant is still drawing devotees. Many of these are familiar with the restaurant before going there from their cookbooks, the latest of which is “Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special.”

The daily special at Moosewood has always been soup, salad and a thick slice of bread. The specifics of what that might be vary from day to day, but many regulars are content to just order the daily special and be surprised with that day’s choice.

Soups and salads have always been staples at the restaurant. Some of the recipes included in this book have a 25-year history of success behind them. The book’s subtitle, “More than 275 Recipes for Soups, Stews, Salads and Extras,” sums it up nicely.

As with previous books from Moosewood, this one is a perfect combination of recipes, serving ideas and notes about the food. It’s the next best thing to making a pilgrimage of your own.

review posted 27 May 2000

If beef is a staple in your diet, this book is something you need. It is written by Frederick J. Simon who is an owner and vice president of Omaha Steaks International and by John Harrison, a well-respected food writer. Although the book is a product of Omaha Steaks, unlike many such books it is not written only with that product in mind.

The book is arranged with recipes by season – 20 for each season. You’ll find those classics like meat loaf and some contemporary dishes that combine the best of cuisines from around the world.

Thirty beautiful color photographs round out the book. If you’re a beef lover, you’re sure to find something here appealing.

review posted 27 May 2000

by Leslie Revsin
$27.50
Doubleday
ISBN 0-385-48538-7

Compiled by editors of Raleigh Magazine
ISBN 1-886680-03-5
Published in 1996
$28.50

by Karen Gantz Zahler
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
published October 18, 1996
ISBN 0-471-11751-6
$37.50

Gantz Zahler is an attorney who specializes in the publishing and entertainment industries. She's also an accomplished cook who was able to gain access to these chefs and learn some of their secrets. She includes a list of the superchefs and their restaurants. It's a veritable Who's Who.

I want to offer a special kudo to the graphic designer who worked on this book. His or her choice of type, design, photos and layout make it a visual feast.

A recipe not to be missed is Michael Foley's Roast Yellow Pepper Soup with Basil.

compiled and edited by Norman Kolpas

Macmillan Publishing USA -- 1996 --- ISBN 0-02-566401-8

$25

Comforting Foods is a compilation by Norman Kolpas of the food some of America's finest chefs remember from their childhood. This great concept nets some fabulous recipes as well as insight. The food our mothers prepared for us indeed does comfort. I still crave tomato soup when I have a cold.

Sixty-four chefs gave more than 170 recipes (and reminiscences) for the book. Meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and chocolate pudding are here. We also find evidence of regional and cultural differences with recipes for polenta, crepes and gnocchi. Each of the recipes I've tried has been exceptional. You don't need a professional kitchen and a staff to make these things. You won't be able to read the book for more than thirty minutes without finding yourself in the kitchen trying out a recipe.