KAREN NEWFIELD: DELICIOUS BOOKS ON COOKING, CHEFS AND RECIPES

Finding Freedom by Erin French

At an age when she could barely reach the stove, Erin French was already helping her father at the local family restaurant. The small town of Freedom, Maine had a restaurant establishment and the change was not welcome. At first, Erin was mostly in the way of her dad, but he slowly began to enjoy the extra pair of hands and a break to eat and drink on the back porch with his pals. All Erin wanted was to make a living off the farm and off Freedom. She managed to go to university to turn around with her parents, pregnant and ashamed at 21. Seeking a better life for her son, Erin knew and loved only one thing: food. She got various jobs in restaurants and catering companies in nearby towns and started to make a name for herself. After a horrible marriage and a stint in rehab, Erin is ironically brought back to Freedom. With her loving mother by her side, Erin pulls the strings on her apron and builds The Lost Kitchen. This creative and hardworking cook shares her story and her passion for food in these inspiring memoirs. You will laugh, cry and most likely be very hungry.

My life in France by Julia Child, Alex Prud’Homme

Adventurous account of the life of Julia and Paul Child. Through Julia’s unique voice and words, and the pen of her nephew, we are immersed in the culinary world of post-World War II Europe. Paul is stationed in France in 1948 for the American foreign service and Julia accompanies him. Knowing little of the country and practically no French, this does not prevent this dynamic woman from stepping out of her comfort zone and fighting to enroll in classes at the infamous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, where women do not are not welcome. Buying food from nearby markets endeared Julia in the eyes of the locals, just as her uncommon personality later captured the hearts of viewers. Chronicling their lives with tales of intriguing companions and a beautiful marriage is the start of Julia’s mission to single-handedly change American cuisine. Their mutual support and love spans nearly fifty years, and Paul’s black-and-white photographs are scattered throughout the book, giving a charming insight into the story. With a couple who found fame and fortune much later than expected, and a woman who changed the way people eat, Julia’s timeless recipes continue, and with this book, her story will too.

Yes, Chief By Marcus Samuelsson

The term “celebrity chef” is a fairly new phenomenon in our culture. Celebrity chefs have always existed, and in small circles of foodies, their names are often revered. But today’s chefs are a household name thanks in large part to the huge success of television cooking competition shows. Series like Top Chef Masters and Chopped made Marcus Samuelsson famous. Marcus was three years old when he, his sister and his mother walked 75 miles to a hospital in Ethiopia where his mother later died of tuberculosis. The siblings were eventually adopted by a family in Gothenburg, Sweden. They moved to a small village where they were embraced and thrived in a loving environment. Marcus began regularly helping his grandmother Helga in her small kitchen to cook delicious Swedish delicacies, learning to appreciate fresh, local foods. 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 happens in the kitchen.