You might know chef Ripert from his acclaimed and record holding, New York City restaurant Le Bernardin. You might know him from cameos on No Reservations with his pal Tony Bourdain. You might know his as the charming french guy with the piercing blue eyes who picked up your wind blown umbrella while struggling down 51st Street. I know him as the guy who loved my mom’s chicken cacciatore recipe after I told him the contents of the mini sandwich I served him during a Michelin awards ceremony. And, you may not know him at all. In either case, his memoir, 32 Yolks, will fix that. Starting at the beginning and ending sometime around now, follow Chef Ripert’s ups and downs in and out of the kitchen. Truly avec Eric.
More Culture Stuff
Eat Dat New Orleans: A Guide to the Unique Food Culture of the Crescent City
If there’s one book you load up on your kindle before landing in the Crescent City make it Eat Dat. It’s been a long, long time since we saw a food guide as comprehensive as this. It makes sure all the famous restaurants are included while rounding out the 250 spot hit list with places locals might haven’t even heard of. Things are changing quickly in New Orleans. Hopefully Michael Murphy will keep the book as updated as possible. For now, be sure to pick up a copy when you’re prepping your JazzFest bag.
The Pizza Pilgrims Journey Spawned this Book
We stumbled on this book from the Pizza Pilgrims just a few weeks ago. Looking like a pizza box and claiming pizza history, recipes and stories we knew it was an instant must buy. But, we didn’t exercising that consumerism, instant gratification, constraint. This week we caved and had it delivered to our door which actually made it feel like pizza delivery given the aforementioned pizza box book design. Turns out it is a who’s who, step by step of the Pizza Pilgrims epic adventure from an idea in a British pub to a series of, what at last count looks like 15, pizza shops. The book is way more than a cookbook although it has some fantastic recipes. It talks to everyone from Domino’s to Scott’s pizza tours. Showcases cities finest pizza from Naples to New Haven. All that fits in between some history of pizza and the full step by step of their epic pilgrimage from idea to Italy to pizza shop empire. We particularly love the pizza box art section and the fan submissions. Brilliant. Now that pizza week 2021 is coming to a close, pick up this pizza bible to stay connected all year round with our favorite meal ever.
A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook
We left New Orleans with a copy of John Kennedy Toole’s a Confederacy of Dunces in our digital back pocket. We were inspired to read the comedic, novel depicting Ignatius J. Reilly’s exploits because of Cynthia LeJeune Nobles’ cookbook of the same name. The Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook is a series of dishes inspired by 1960’s New Orleans and Ignatius’ favorite foods. The research that went into this book is incredible. I’m not sure which one I suggest you read first. Maybe read them both and cook simultaneously for a real immersive trip.
Classic City Cooking
It’s not often the person we spend our work week five feet from publishes a food book. It’s even less often there’s a city-specific theme which awakens our travel bug gene. Nina, as us lucky insiders know to call her, hails from Athens Georgia, the Classic City, in the shadow of Hotlanta. Nina lifts this veil in a who’s who, foodie filled, Athenian hardcover. Classic City Cooking is perfect for those Georgian friends or people like us who just added another city to our gastro-travel list. If you’re in NYC and want to celebrate all things Athens, her book party is on September 16th. You’ll find us in Athens ASAP, book in hand.