Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door
50 American Chefs Chart Today's Food Culture
Emmanuel Laroche’s Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door features interviews with an impressive range of American chefs, restaurateurs, mixologists, and other culinary innovators.
Born in Versailles, Laroche grew up with a gourmet palate. As a boy, he played a board game that taught children about France’s regional specialties, like Normandy oysters and Savoy’s cheese fondue. Laroche’s gastronomical penchant later inspired his podcast Flavors Unknown—a program at the core of these compiled discussions with creative food professionals.
The highlighted food professionals discuss topics including creating menus, managing social media reviews, the Eggplant Braciole at Philadelphia’s Vedge, and the Sour Cherry Dumplings at Kachka in Portland. While the book spotlights America’s burgeoning restaurant scene, it also includes the grounded wisdom of chefs who know how competitive the business can be. There are economic and emotional challenges, as with COVID-19, along with the need for commitment, discipline, and a willingness to learn all facets of the industry. The book also notes that changing immigration patterns brought new tastes to America’s food landscape–and that, while there are now more women chefs, sexism persists.
Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door is an insightful, inspirational, and passionate essay collection about food.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
