The Armchair James Beard

Front Cover
Open Road Media, Jul 7, 2015 - Cooking - 361 pages
A timeless and insightful volume of essays—with more than 130 recipes—by the master of American cuisine

The Armchair James Beard showcases the many roles of America’s first celebrity chef: teacher, culinary alchemist, restaurant reviewer, occasional dieter, visionary, and gourmand. Collected by Beard’s longtime friend and colleague John Ferrone, each essay resonates with impassioned opinions and a distinctly American voice. Beard takes us on a journey from his childhood in Portland, Oregon, to his dining and cooking experiences around the world.
 
These reminiscences, paired with more than 130 recipes, provide an intimate portrait of a lifetime spent studying, preparing, and enjoying food. Beard fondly recalls his father’s homemade breakfast sausage seasoned with thyme and pepper; bouillabaisse made from fresh fish in the South of France; and a large, buttery baked potato aboard the Northern Pacific railroad on one of his many cross-country trips. Rich with tales of meals shared with family and old friends, Beard ponders not just the importance of what we eat, but how food brings us together, and the role it can play in our memories. Heartfelt, enlightening, and often humorous, these memoir-like selections are an inspiring addition to any culinary collection.
 

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2015)

James Beard (1903–1985) was an American cookbook author, syndicated columnist, teacher, and television personality. Designated the “dean of American cookery” by the New York Times, Beard laid the foundations for generations of amateur and professional food enthusiasts. After publishing his first cookbook in 1940, Beard went on to host the NBC cooking show I Love to Eat. In 1955 he founded the James Beard Cooking School, where he taught for many years. Over the course of his career, Beard wrote countless cookbooks, including several seminal works, and he inspired and influenced chefs throughout the world. His legacy lives on through the James Beard Foundation, established in his honor to provide scholarships and awards recognizing excellence in the culinary arts.

John Ferrone was born in Morristown, New Jersey, on August 14, 1924, to Italian immigrant parents. He graduated from Colorado College, and then Stanford University, where he earned a master’s degree in creative writing. After serving in World War II, Ferrone went on to work for Dell Publishing and Harcourt, Brace & World until his retirement in 1990. He is best known for his tremendous editing work and collaboration with Alice Walker on her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The Color Purple. Ferrone has also edited Quentin Bell’s Virginia Woolf: A Biography, Anaïs Nin’s New York Times bestseller Delta of Venus, and Eudora Welty’s National Book Award winner The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. He has also edited many of James Beard’s kitchen volumes. Ferrone died of complications caused by Parkinson’s disease in Old Bridge, New Jersey, on April 10, 2016.

Bibliographic information