Finding Freedom By Erin French
At an age when she could barely reach the stove, Erin French was already helping her dad at the family’s local diner. The small town of Freedom, Maine had one eating establishment, and change was not welcome. At first, Erin was mostly in her dad’s way, but he slowly began to enjoy the extra pair of hands and a break to eat and drink on the back porch with his buddies. All Erin wanted was to earn her way off the farm and out of Freedom. She succeeded in getting to college only to make a U-turn back to her parents, pregnant and ashamed at 21. Searching for a better life for her son, Erin only knew and loved one thing: food. She got various jobs in restaurants and with catering companies in nearby towns and began to make a name for herself. After a horrible marriage and stint in rehab, Erin is ironically pulled back to Freedom. With her loving mother by her side, Erin pulls on her apron strings and builds The Lost Kitchen. This creative, hardworking cook shares her story and passion for food in this inspiring memoir. You will laugh, cry and most likely get very hungry.
My Life in France By Julia Child, Alex Prud’Homme
Adventurous account of the lives of Julia and Paul Child. Through Julia’s unique voice and words, and her nephew’s pen, we are immersed into the culinary world of Europe post-WWII. Paul is stationed to work in France in 1948 for the U.S. Foreign Service and Julia accompanies him. Knowing little about the country and virtually no French does not stop this dynamic woman from stepping out of her comfort zone and fighting to register for classes at the infamous Le Cordon Bleu School of Cooking, where women are not welcome. Buying food at nearby markets endeared Julia to the local people just as her uncommon personality later captured the hearts of TV viewers. Chronicling their lives with tales of intriguing companions and a beautiful marriage is the beginning of Julia’s mission to single handedly change American cooking. Their support and mutual love lasts for nearly fifty years, and Paul’s black and white photographs are scattered throughout the book, lending a charming glimpse through history. With a couple that found fame and fortune much later in life than one would expect, and a woman who changed the way people eat, Julia’s timeless recipes carry on, and with this book, her story will too.
Yes, Chef By Marcus Samuelsson
The term “celebrity chef” is a fairly new phenomenon in our culture. Celebrated chefs have always existed, and in small foodie circles their names are often revered. But today’s chefs are a household name due in large part to the huge success of cooking competition television shows. Series like Top Chef Masters and Chopped have made Marcus Samuelsson famous. Marcus was three years old when he, his sister and mother walked 75 miles to a hospital in Ethiopia where his mother later died from tuberculosis. The siblings were eventually adopted by a family from Goteborg, Sweden. They moved to a small village where they were embraced and thrived in a loving environment. Marcus began to regularly help his grandmother Helga in her small kitchen cooking delicious Swedish delights, learning to appreciate fresh and local food. A lifelong passion for cooking was born. This memoir follows Marcus on his journey through his life in Sweden, detailing how he found his way to food, culinary school and ultimately his highly acclaimed restaurant: the Red Rooster in Harlem, NY. This warm and entertaining life story speaks from the heart, connecting love, family, the color of our skin and everything that goes on in the kitchen.
