Product Description: Within every fine restaurant there exist two worlds: the elegant, hushed environment of the dining room and the chaotic, explosive, high-tension scene behind the swinging kitchen doors. The ability to create dishes that are utterly sublime and turn them out at breakneck pace while simultaneously juggling kitchen crises, coddling demanding patrons, and managing overworked staff is what defines a four-star chef...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Spanning three decades, a compelling novel by the award-winning author of American Appetite follows Andrew Kelbow, who believes that he is a part of an average American family until his father leaves his mother under a cherry tree in the Mohave desert, forcing him to find his own definition of 'the happy family.' Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

A new novel by the award-winning author of American Appetite chronicles three decades in the life of an extremely troubled California family. 15,000 first printing.

A cultural history of American cuisine traces the evolution of the American relationship to food from the time of the Pilgrims to the present, focusing on the revolutionary events of the 1960s that led to the multicultural tastes of today. Reprint. (view table of contents)

A cultural history of American cuisine traces the evolution of American food from Native American influences on early settlers' diet to the rise of celebrity chefs and their signature dishes, discussing a variety of culinary movements, the impact of immigration on American food, regional trends, and more. (view table of contents)

An informal, humorous primer on buying and tasting wine features chapters on various regions and grapes, ordering wine in a restaurant, ten great wines to bring to a party, what wines go with what food, and much more. Original.

Compares modern cocktail parties with those of the past, offers advice on planning a party, and shares recipes for cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and canapes

A simple guide to creating your own infusions and essences from herbs and spices, fruits, cooked vegetables, wines, and spirits, explains how to distill these pure intense flavors and provides delicious recipes using them. Tour.