Letters to a Young Chef

by Daniel Boulud

Overview

From the reinvention of French food through the fine dining revolution in America, Daniel Boulud has been a witness to and a creator of today's food culture. A modern improviser with a classical foundation (a little rock 'n' roll and a lot of Mozart, he'd say), he speaks with the authority that comes from a lifetime of preparing, presenting, and thinking about food-an ancient calling with universal resonance. In Letters to a Young Chef, Boulud speaks not only of how to make a career as a chef in today's world, but also of why one should want to do so in the first place. As he himself puts it, it is "a tasty life." The love of food and the obsession with flavors, ingredients, and techniques are the chef's source of strength, helping the young chef to survive and flourish during the long years of apprenticeship and their necessary sacrifices. Part memoir, part advice book, part cookbook, part reverie, this delicious new book will delight and enlighten chefs of all kinds, from passionate amateurs to serious professionals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465093427
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	204,581
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Daniel Boulud was born in France in 1955 and trained under renowned chefs Roger Verge, Georges Blanc, and Michel Guerard. He moved to the United States, where he served as Executive Chef at Le Cirque in New York. In 1993 he opened Daniel, Zagat's top-rated New York restaurant for two years running, followed by Café Boulud and DB Moderne. Among numerous other awards, he has been named "Chef of the Year" by Bon Appétit, and has received Gourmet's Top Table award. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Letters from Daniel

Do You Really Want to Be a Chef? 3

Mentors 13

Heat 31

Flavor 45

Sources and Seasons 59

Wine and Pastry 69

The Whole Wide World 81

Desire, Drive, and Focus 89

Attitude and Teamwork 97

Some Elements of Success 107

The Front of the House 117

A Special Kind of Life 127

The Ten Commandments of a Chef 131

A Few Letters from my Friends

Discipline Gavin Kaysen 139

Technique Jean-François Bruel Eddy Leroux 145

Mentorship Barbara Lynch 149

Flavor Corey Lee 153

Ingredients Eric Ripert 159

Recipes Dominique Ansel 163

Creativity Grant Achatz 167

Passion Marcus Samuelsson 171

Teamwork Nancy Silverton 175

Loyalty Michael Anthony 179

Recipes: A Self Portrait 183

Acknowledgments 213

Editorial Reviews

Lyon-born Daniel Boulud is the owner and chef de cuisine of three restaurants, including his namesake, Daniel, generally regarded as one of the world's premier restaurants. In Letters to a Young Chef, he takes a well-deserved break from his kitchen duties to share wisdom about the fine art of food preparation. His introduction to this "tasty life" is composed of healthy portions of advice, memoir, instruction, anecdotes, reverie, and even a few choice recipes.