The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin

This book is particularly interesting if you want a glimpse into a style of French life that is not often available to foreigners. A view is afforded into the connection the French have to the land and the food it produces, and their ability to gather that bounty and transform it into a feast.

Pepin talks about growing up with those traditions, learning to cook at an early age by apprenticing and his love of the land and the food it produces. It is a wonderful description of a life that over time has changed, but is not completely lost.

It brought back memories of my childhood and the special meals that were created after unique excursions. An omelet created from a basket full of mushrooms that my grandfather gathered during his morning walk. The rabbit stew made from the neighbor’s weekend hunt. There was something about the straightforwardness of those meals that made them special.

Pepin describes his move to the United States, the people he met and the adventures that ensued. We learn how much he actually influenced our fast food and how he taught us to cook through all his books and television shows.

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Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl

This is a wonderful memoir. It is truly an insight into the creation of a passion. Both funny and poignant, Reichl’s stories make you laugh and want more. The characters who make up her life—the “Queen of Mold,” the name given to her mother, her Aunt Birdie, Alice and Mrs. Peavey—are so zany and loving that you are delighted to get to know them.

The book is quirky yet delightful leaving you with tidbits such as Mrs. Peavey’s advice after dropping the beef Wellington on her way to serving a dinning room full of guests. “Always make extra pastry,” Mrs. Peavey said, patting the new pastry over the bare spots and hiding them with some little ornamental doodads. “You never know what surprises life is going to serve up.”

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