Provence, 1970 is about a singular historic moment. In the winter of that year, more or less coincidentally, the iconic culinary figures James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Richard Olney, Simone Beck, and Judith Jones found themselves together in the South of France. They cooked and ate, talked and argued, about the future of food in America, the meaning of taste, and the limits of snobbery. Without quite realizing it, they were shaping...

In this debut memoir, a James Beard Award–winning writer, whose childhood idea of fine dining was Howard Johnson's, tells how he became one of Paris's most influential food critics   Until Alec Lobrano landed a job in the glamorous Paris office of Women's Wear Daily, his main experience of French cuisine was the occasional supermarket éclair. An interview with the owner of a renowned cheese shop for his first article nearly proves a disaster...

From the craggy Catalan coastline to the undulating, red-soiled hills of Andalucía, the diversity of the Spanish countryside is without rival. Its cuisine directly reflects this landscape, with each region celebrating its own ingredients and culinary traditions. In Spain, long-time Barcelona resident Jeff Koehler gathers the country's many time-honored dishes and age-old culinary customs, and distills the Spanish table down to its essence'food that...

Beer and food pairing can be as much an art form as wine and food pairing. With the explosion in craft beers and interest in seasonal cuisine, A Year in Food and Beer perfectly fills a niche. It instructs readers how to identify flavors in specific American and European beers and how to complement those with gourmet foods and cooking techniques by season. Home cooks, beer drinkers, and curious foodies will be fortified learning about beer and breweries...

-- The Omnivore's Dilemma "Having described what's wrong with American food in his best-selling -- Cooked argues, taking back control of cooking may be the single most important step anyone can take to help make the American food system healthier and more sustainable. Reclaiming cooking as an act of enjoyment and self-reliance, learning to perform the magic of these everyday transformations, opens the door to a more nourishing life.

Grand Rapids restaurants have served up meals and memories since the city's earliest days. At Bentham's, one of the first downtown restaurants, customers without money to eat could trade an animal pelt for supper. John Sebaitis trained his German shepherd, Spooky, to serve beer to the patrons at his tavern. And a seventeen-year-old Gerald R. Ford worked part time as a server and dish washer at Bill's Place. Join Norma Lewis as she explores the history...

In the winning format of the highly successful Lavender Garden, Honey: From Flower to Table dips into the myth, magic, science, and literature behind this sacred and sensuous food. Author Stephanie Rosenbaum traces the amazing process that turns flower nectar into honey, and takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the history and symbolism of honey. Cooking and crafting chapters include recipes for mouthwatering honey delicacies and step-by-step...

The love for the donut in the United States is longstanding and deep-rooted. Gourmet donut shops have popped up in trendy neighborhoods across the country and high-end restaurants are serving trios of donuts for dessert, while Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme, and Tim Hortons have amassed a devoted following. In this captivating guide to the delectable dessert, culinary historian, chef, and donut lover Michael Krondl has put together an entertaining

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Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only be described as a national eating disorder. Will it be fast food tonight, or something organic? Or perhaps something we grew ourselves? The question of what to have for dinner has confronted us since man discovered fire. But as Michael Pollan explains in this revolutionary book, how we answer it now, at the dawn of the twenty-first century may determine our survival...

-- The Old World Kitchen   • Vegetable Dishes • • • • • • • • • • • • •   This definitive collection of over 300 time-tested recipes from 25 European countries is an indispensable guide to the simple, delicious, and surprisingly exotic dishes of peasant Europe.