Food

10 BEAUTIFUL FOOD STORIES

Food is not only a source of physical nourishment and pleasure, it is also a wonderful inspiration for stories. We love reading memoirs centered around experiences with food, and we found a beautiful new crop of them for you.

1. TO THE BONE

“To the Bone,” by Paul Liebrandt and Andrew Friedman, with foreword by Heston Blumenthal, is part memoir, part cookbook, as many foodie memoirs are. This is the story of Paul Liebrandt’s struggle to become a top chef and his mission to define his own personal style.

Liebrandt began to explore his culinary roots and creative development from the age of fifteen, and continued on his journey into the finest restaurants of London, Paris, and ultimately, New York.

Marco Pierre White, Raymond Blanc, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Pierre Gagnaire, were all heroes to Liebrandt. Using methods and ideas he learned from them, he added his own flourish and became a world class talent at New York City’s Atlas, Gilt, Corton, and the Elm. He became known for a highly creative, singular, graphic style.

“By any measure, Paul Liebrandt’s career in the kitchen has been a wild success. But it hasn't been a mad dash toward celebrity, as anyone who reads To the Bone will see. More than a collection of recipes, this impressive book is a coming-of-age story, a narrative that tells of a chef's often painstaking creative growth. Liebrandt spares us any phony glamour, focusing instead on the desire and commitment that restaurant work requires. That's a lot more real than anything you see on ‘reality’ TV.”

—Thomas Keller, Chef/Owner of The French Laundry

Clarkson Potter (2013)

2. MY BERLIN KITCHEN: A LOVE STORY

If you loved Julie and Julia, “My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes),” by Luisa Weiss, is sure to delight you. It is a memoir filled with recipes and romance, chronicling Weiss’ return to her childhood home in Berlin. Weiss, founder of The Wednesday Chef cooking blog, lives life out loud, and invites us along for the ride.

Charming, witty, tender, and lightly sweet, My Berlin Kitchen will enchant you, both with the power of story and exceptional recipes borrowed from Weiss’ friends and family, including some famous chefs such as Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver.

“The new Julie & Julia! It’s part cookbook and part memoir; you’ll finish a chapter and find yourself in the kitchen following the recipe Weiss includes . . . A transcontinental romance about taking risks in life and in the kitchen.”

—Marie Claire

“Luisa has a way of telling a story that’s nothing short of entrancing.”

—Deb Perelman, author of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Penguin Books (2013)

3. THE TELLING ROOM: A TALE OF LOVE, BETRAYAL, REVENGE, AND THE WORLD'S GREATEST PIECE OF CHEESE

“The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese,” by Michael Paterniti, is a fascinating story about a cheesemaker, named Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras, from the beautiful little village of Guzmán, Spain.

For centuries, villagers have gathered in a cave dug into a hillside on the edge of town, in a cramped limestone chamber, known as “the telling room,” to share their stories, secrets, and wine.

The cheesemaker tells a tale about an unusual piece of cheese made from an old family recipe, with mystical qualities -- if you eat it, you can remember long lost memories.

This food memoir is also part thriller. As Paterniti seeks the truth about the cheese mystery, he uncovers village secrets, a blood feud, death threats, and a murder plot.

“By the time you hit the tenth page of The Telling Room, you realize you’re in the hands of a storyteller so masterful, emotionally subtle, and smooth that you’re willing to follow him anywhere, even into a cave. And you will.”

—The Daily Beast

The Dial Press (2013)

4. MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH EATING: LESSONS IN FOOD AND LOVE FROM A YEAR IN PARIS

“Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris,” by Ann Mah, tells the story of Mah’s life in Paris, living as a diplomat’s wife.

Mah, a journalist, foodie, and Francophile is like a kid in a particularly delicious candy shop, as she eats her way through the City of Lights. When her husband is called away for a one year assignment in Iraq, Mah combats her lonliness by diving deep, seeking out the perfect examples of classic French dishes. She shares their history and recipes, with wit and care, along with tales about her adventures and the colorful characters she meets along the way.

Pamela Dorman Books (2013)

5. SMOKE AND PICKLES: RECIPES AND STORIES FROM A NEW SOUTHERN KITCHEN

“Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen,” by Edward Lee, is all about the life of a Brooklyn boy, raised by a family of Korean immigrants, who falls in love with the South and claims it, and its food, as his own.

The award-winning Chef Lee owns the acclaimed restaurant 610 Magnolia, in Louisville, Kentucky. He is known for his unique patchwork cuisine, marrying Southern & Korean cuisines. He creates recipes like Chicken-Fried Pork Steak with Ramen Crust and Buttermilk Pepper Gravy; Collards and Kimchi; Braised Beef Kalbi with Soft Grits and Scallions; and Miso-Smothered Chicken.

“Edward Lee is one of America’s most important young chefs—and what he has to say with his delicious food and in the pages of this book will help redefine American food as a whole. Better start reading and start cooking. The future is here.”

—Anthony Bourdain

Artisan (2013)

6. DANIEL: MY FRENCH CUISINE

“Daniel: My French Cuisine,” by Daniel Boulud and Sylvie Bigar, tells the life story of Daniel Boulud, one of America's most respected and successful chefs.

With over 120 beautiful photographs, by Thomas Schauer, delightful essays by Bill Buford, and 75 signature recipes to round out the picture, this book will follow you from kitchen to comfy chair and back again.

"Just when you think you know everything about one of your closest friends, he surprises you with anecdotes, reflections and insight. French cuisine is in Daniel's blood, but this book---the most personal he has written---goes well beyond the traditional rules and codes of French cooking. It's an intimate look at Daniel as a chef, and a vivid portrait of Daniel as a person, highlighting the art and science in his iconic and regional cooking, and the humility that guides everything he does."

--Thomas Keller, Chef/Owner of The French Laundry

Grand Central Life & Style (2013)

7. RUSS & DAUGHTERS: REFLECTIONS AND RECIPES FROM THE HOUSE THAT HERRING BUILT

“Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes from the House That Herring Built,” by Mark Russ Federman, with foreword by Calvin Trillin, is the mouthwatering and salty story of the beloved iconic appetizing shop on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

Federman, the current Russ & Daughters proprietor, tells the story of his immigrant family, who started with a pushcart in 1907, and built “New York’s most hallowed shrine to the miracle of caviar, smoked salmon, ethereal herring, and silken chopped liver.”

“If you've ever lived in New York or have any affection for a bagel and lox, you’ll appreciate this look at one of New York’s most iconic food stores. Federman’s history of his family and his store will give you a crazy feeling of nostalgia, even if you weren't yet born during the times he describes.”

—Huffington Post, Best Food Books of 2013

Schocken (2013)

8. ONE SOUFFLÉ AT A TIME: A MEMOIR OF FOOD AND FRANCE

“One Soufflé at a Time: A Memoir of Food and France,” by Anne Willan and Amy Friedman, is a memoir of beauty, grace, and a solid, with 50 favorite recipes to keep you well fed. It tells the cooking life story of Willan, a top chef and founder of the legendary La Varenne Cooking School, as well at snippets from the lives of other food greats such as Julia Child, James Beard, Simone Beck, Craig Claiborne, Richard Olney, and others."

"Ms. Willan tells the story of her life--interspersing it generously with recipes, classic French and otherwise--in an easygoing, readable style, full of anecdote and insight."

--Colman Andrews, Wall Street Journal

St. Martin's Griffin (2014)

9. EATING WILDLY: FORAGING FOR LIFE, LOVE AND THE PERFECT MEAL

Foraging has become cool again. “Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love and the Perfect Meal,” by Ava Chin, is a fascinating memoir about foraging for food in New York City.

Chin, aka the “Urban Forager,” manages to find a slew of wild urban edible delectables in the most unlikely places.

A new sense of abundance is possible once you view life with new “foraging eyes.” Flora, fauna, and fungi are all fair game.

As Chin searches for food, she searches for love. Her personal tales unfold as she heads down a path to self-discovery, reconciliation with her family, and finding true love.

Simon & Schuster (2014)

10. MASTERING THE ART OF SOVIET COOKING: A MEMOIR OF FOOD AND LONGING

“Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing,” by Anya Von Bremzen, is a bit of an oxymoron. Food during the Soviet empire was anything but art. But, even with its scarcity and political constraints, food in the USSR remained deeply emotional, far beyond its ability to nourish bodies.

Von Bremzen, a James Beard Award-winning writer shares stories of feasts and famines, bread lines and black markets.

The author and her mother commemorate their food experiences by cooking their way through each decade of Soviet rule, recreating recipes from back in the day. They serve up recipes from famous Russians, such as Chekhov’s koulibiak (fish pie) and Stalin’s chanakhi (Georgian stew).

These are the stories of three generations, set against the backdrop of Soviet politics, from Lenin’s bloody grain requisitioning to Krushchev’s kitchen debates, to Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol policies, through World War II.

Crown (2013)