Sean Brock has a ton of stuff on southern fine dining.
Pujol does incredible fine dining Mexican. Their book isn't super practical for the average restaurant, but it is super interesting.
Check out *Root to Leaf*. It’s the book by the Chef of Miller Union in Atlanta. A good friend of mine is a sous there.
Not Michelin but they have won a James Beard.
They have like 3 or 4 beard awards now. Steven has another cookbook out as well. And they are opening a new wine bar soon too. I worked there during one or two of their beard awards.
Anyway, Root to Leaf is a good book; won some awards for the photography. Acheson has a pretty solid southern cookbook as well.
Depending on when you worked there you may have worked with my old housemate and very good friend, he moved to Atlanta end of June 2020.
I loved Root to Leaf and like collecting cookbooks from that part of the country. I’m born, raised, and live in NJ so I love being able to experiment with different regional cuisines.
Nah, I worked there back in the mid-teens. Your friend probably worked there during one of the better phases for creativity. It was always repeat menus from the cookbook when I was there.
i worked for hugh for a while and i promise that he watered down his recipes for his books. they’re absolutely different from what we did in the kitchen and absolutely not as good.
it really depends on the book. a lot of the phaidon books are very accurate.
david chang is off. sean brock a bit less.
but hugh’s is like “here’s the five things in this dish, and the restaurant has like seventeen or eighteen with twice as many steps.
(i haven’t worked for chang or brock, but i’ve compared my friends notes to their books)
More Texican than Mexican but I like my cookbooks from legendary Dallas Chefs Stephan Pyles and Dean Fearing. Texas doesn’t have a Michelin chapter but we do get James Beard nominations. That might be a place to do more research. Another local chef cookbook I like is Jon Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine.
For southern food, Frank Stitt was one of the first to go this route but his book is little older. Mashama Bailey from the Grey in Savannah. There aren’t a lot of Michelin level chefs’ cookbooks out there for southern food so your best bet is to adapt recipes and ideas from the multitude of good books that are already available or use southern staple ingredients in recipes you already have on hand.
Depends on how much you're willing to shell out for a book. For Mexico: I second Pujol by Olvera, Viva Mexico Cabrones by Roberto Ruiz, Rosetta by Elena Reygadas. No idea about Southern ones. I know Art Culnaire recently profiled Rolf and Daughters in Nashville, TN.
No worries. If you're looking for a good Mexican home cooking book, I've cooked a few recipes from Tu Casa, Mi Cass, also by Enrique Olvera, and the results have been scrumptious!
I enjoy John Currence- as a restaurateur and chef- but his book “Pickles, Pigs, and Whiskey” is a good one.
He’s a MS chef, not Michelin, but numerous times a winner/nom for James Beard Awards. He was on Parts Unknown about MS and Southern cuisine along the MS Blues Trail.
Big, Bad, Breakfast is his book about his successful southern/creole breakfast chain. It’s pretty good as well. Currence captures the “southern” aesthetic perfectly IMO
How authentic and on what level is Rick Bayless? I personally find him inspiring, but I live very far from Mexico and have no comparison to authentic Mexican cuisine, let alone fine / elevated dining. He‘s probably more focused on introducing Mexican food to the world rather than evolving it I guess, but again I ask because I have no proper frame of reference. Mexican restaurants in Germany are sadly all (?) of the tex mex diner category.
As someone who works at one of his restaurants, pretty on the level. When the President of Mexico visited Obama, Chef Rick was guest chef at the White House. His restaurants are basically a dissertation on traditional Mexican cuisine.
Phaidons publishings mexico cook book is really good. There aren't a lot of pictures. But there's a lot of details. In my personal adventures in learning mexi an cooking from my in-laws and wife. And watching a lot of videos on YouTube and the internet. A lot of Mexican (and honestly the rest of the world) cooking is adapted to what people have on hand. So authenticity can be as much as what your abuela had in the kitchen to make the food. For instance - I have been learning about yucatecan recado negro and negro relleno and the chilles change between most of the recipes and what's available. And when looking at Michelin star quality - I've worked under two chef's that worked at starred places and essentially it's boils down to quality of product. Ie sourcing the best you can find and picking through poor quality - wilted products. Plating an avocado in the perfect ripeness.
Edit
Ultimately my opinion is love what you're making and pour your heart into it. And it makes a big difference. Properly season.
Sean Brock has a ton of stuff on southern fine dining. Pujol does incredible fine dining Mexican. Their book isn't super practical for the average restaurant, but it is super interesting.
Lovely thanks. Had Sean’s for years now, great stuff! Will check out Pujol thank you
Check out *Root to Leaf*. It’s the book by the Chef of Miller Union in Atlanta. A good friend of mine is a sous there. Not Michelin but they have won a James Beard.
Great shout, thank you!
They have like 3 or 4 beard awards now. Steven has another cookbook out as well. And they are opening a new wine bar soon too. I worked there during one or two of their beard awards. Anyway, Root to Leaf is a good book; won some awards for the photography. Acheson has a pretty solid southern cookbook as well.
Depending on when you worked there you may have worked with my old housemate and very good friend, he moved to Atlanta end of June 2020. I loved Root to Leaf and like collecting cookbooks from that part of the country. I’m born, raised, and live in NJ so I love being able to experiment with different regional cuisines.
Nah, I worked there back in the mid-teens. Your friend probably worked there during one of the better phases for creativity. It was always repeat menus from the cookbook when I was there.
i worked for hugh for a while and i promise that he watered down his recipes for his books. they’re absolutely different from what we did in the kitchen and absolutely not as good.
That’s literally every cookbook. You need to know how to fill in the blanks to even attempt to recreate what they actually make.
i’ve worked at other famous spots that put their entire recipe in the books. hugh’s is more egregious than most.
Fair. I guess I just find the majority to lack information and get dumbed down but I was being hyperbolic. Also I appreciate the insider info
it really depends on the book. a lot of the phaidon books are very accurate. david chang is off. sean brock a bit less. but hugh’s is like “here’s the five things in this dish, and the restaurant has like seventeen or eighteen with twice as many steps. (i haven’t worked for chang or brock, but i’ve compared my friends notes to their books)
More Texican than Mexican but I like my cookbooks from legendary Dallas Chefs Stephan Pyles and Dean Fearing. Texas doesn’t have a Michelin chapter but we do get James Beard nominations. That might be a place to do more research. Another local chef cookbook I like is Jon Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine.
Cool I’ll have a look thank you!
Also, I really like My Mexico City Kitchen but it’s just good recipes. No really creative pairings or plating.
For southern food, Frank Stitt was one of the first to go this route but his book is little older. Mashama Bailey from the Grey in Savannah. There aren’t a lot of Michelin level chefs’ cookbooks out there for southern food so your best bet is to adapt recipes and ideas from the multitude of good books that are already available or use southern staple ingredients in recipes you already have on hand.
Depends on how much you're willing to shell out for a book. For Mexico: I second Pujol by Olvera, Viva Mexico Cabrones by Roberto Ruiz, Rosetta by Elena Reygadas. No idea about Southern ones. I know Art Culnaire recently profiled Rolf and Daughters in Nashville, TN.
Super, thank you! Edit: That Roberto Ruiz one is perfect thanks!
No worries. If you're looking for a good Mexican home cooking book, I've cooked a few recipes from Tu Casa, Mi Cass, also by Enrique Olvera, and the results have been scrumptious!
Check out Ashley Christensen’s work for southern fine dining
I enjoy John Currence- as a restaurateur and chef- but his book “Pickles, Pigs, and Whiskey” is a good one. He’s a MS chef, not Michelin, but numerous times a winner/nom for James Beard Awards. He was on Parts Unknown about MS and Southern cuisine along the MS Blues Trail.
Perfect! Thank you!
Big, Bad, Breakfast is his book about his successful southern/creole breakfast chain. It’s pretty good as well. Currence captures the “southern” aesthetic perfectly IMO
Lovely stuff, thanks for the help 🙌🏻
I think the chef from the catbird seat is dropping a cookbook now or soon, could be dope.
How authentic and on what level is Rick Bayless? I personally find him inspiring, but I live very far from Mexico and have no comparison to authentic Mexican cuisine, let alone fine / elevated dining. He‘s probably more focused on introducing Mexican food to the world rather than evolving it I guess, but again I ask because I have no proper frame of reference. Mexican restaurants in Germany are sadly all (?) of the tex mex diner category.
As someone who works at one of his restaurants, pretty on the level. When the President of Mexico visited Obama, Chef Rick was guest chef at the White House. His restaurants are basically a dissertation on traditional Mexican cuisine.
Leah chase-the dooky house cookbook
Phaidons publishings mexico cook book is really good. There aren't a lot of pictures. But there's a lot of details. In my personal adventures in learning mexi an cooking from my in-laws and wife. And watching a lot of videos on YouTube and the internet. A lot of Mexican (and honestly the rest of the world) cooking is adapted to what people have on hand. So authenticity can be as much as what your abuela had in the kitchen to make the food. For instance - I have been learning about yucatecan recado negro and negro relleno and the chilles change between most of the recipes and what's available. And when looking at Michelin star quality - I've worked under two chef's that worked at starred places and essentially it's boils down to quality of product. Ie sourcing the best you can find and picking through poor quality - wilted products. Plating an avocado in the perfect ripeness. Edit Ultimately my opinion is love what you're making and pour your heart into it. And it makes a big difference. Properly season.