Alaskan Holiday

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber  243 pages

Josie Avery takes a Summer job cooking in a lodge in Ponder, Alaska up past the arctic circle.   Her dream job os to work as a sous chef under the famous Chef Anton who is opening a new hot restaurant in Josie's hometown of Seattle, Washington.    While living and working in Ponder she soon falls in love with its beauty, the great people living there, in particular Palmer Saxon and his husky as well as a crusty older fellow named Jack Corcoran, who adores her cooking..    Josie never makes any illusion she plans to stay iun Ponder and always talks about her dream job working with Chef Anton.   When things heat up between her and Palmer she turns down his marriage proposal knowing she is not about to give up her dream nor does she have any desire to live her life in the outskirts of humanity in Ponder.    the tory is happy, sad ,but, Debbie Macomber may give you lot of twists, som laughs and the occasional broken heart along the way but her writing will never disappoint.   I recommend this book to middle schoolers on up and especially to Cooking show fans.

- Shirley J.

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Verant  352 pages

Sophie Valroux is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She’s got the chops to work in a Michelin-starred restaurant.  When this story opens, the New York restaurant where, Cendrillon, is waiting to hear that they have been awarded a third Michelin star.

Tensions are running high in the kitchen. Eric, the chef de cuisine, and Sophie’s former lover, are not exactly having a lover’s spat, but Eric is hard on her, making her re-season the Executive Chef Dan O’Shea’s recipe for roasted potimarron, a chestnut-flavored squash, soup.

When the call comes, it isn’t the one they are expecting. Not only was Cendrillon not awarded a third start, but one was taken away.  Imagine the disappointment in that kitchen.

Eric accuses Sophie of sabotaging the restaurant; O’Shea has no choice but to let her go. Sophie is crushed. It has been her dream to be part of the one percent of female chefs running a Michelin-starred restaurant. Word spreads through the city’s restaurants. Sophie has no chance of ever working in New York again…unless of course, she takes Eric up on going to work for him in the new restaurant he is planning to open.  Sophie would rather be homeless than that.

Sophie licks her wounds by returning to France where her grandmother lives. The grandmother she was exceptionally close to whom she has hardly talked to, much less visited in thirteen years.  Grand-mere has suffered a stroke.

Sophie learns that Grand-mere has been busy in Sophie’s absence---opening two restaurants in “the simple family home…is now luxurious chateau.”  Two highly regarded and highly successful restaurants.  Although Sophie’s confidence has been shaken to her core, she learns that while life isn’t fair, good can come of every betrayal and disappointment.

I fell in love with the opening paragraph…so beautifully written that I read it three times to savor the imagery. This novel is about family secret, learning to dream again and family is this people that can always be depended upon, even when there is disagreement. There is also a secondary plot line of romance. Between food (complete with recipes) and romance, this is the perfect escape novel and a way to see France without leaving your favorite chair.

I was disappointed that author Verant used so many French words that I could not put into context, but they added authenticity to the story that I would experience if I was in France.

 The Secret French Recipes of Sophie receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Hungry

Hungry: Eating, Road-tripping and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World by Jeff Gordinier, 230 pages

Summary from Goodreads: Hungry is a book about not only the hunger for food, but for risk, for reinvention, for creative breakthroughs, and for connection. Feeling stuck in his work and home life, writer Jeff Gordinier happened into a fateful meeting with Danish chef Rene Redzepi, whose restaurant, Noma, has been called the best in the world. A restless perfectionist, Redzepi was at the top of his game but was looking to tear it all down, to shutter his restaurant and set out for new places, flavors, and recipes.

This is the story of the subsequent four years of globe-trotting culinary adventure, with Gordinier joining Redzepi as his Sancho Panza. In the jungle of the Yucatan peninsula, Redzepi and his comrades go off-road in search of the perfect taco. In Sydney, they forage for sea rocket and sandpaper figs in suburban parks and on surf-lashed beaches. On a boat in the Arctic Circle, a lone fisherman guides them to what may or may not be his secret cache of the world's finest sea urchins. And back in Copenhagen, the quiet canal-lined city where Redzepi started it all, he plans the resurrection of his restaurant on the unlikely site of a garbage-filled lot. Along the way, readers meet Redzepi's merry band of friends and collaborators, including acclaimed chefs such as Danny Bowien, Kylie Kwong, Rosio Sanchez, David Chang, and Enrique Olvera.

I wasn't familiar with Noma until I started reading this book. I was just drawn to the title and description. I was not disappointed. Gordinier weaves a great story about Redzepi and his philosophy towards cooking. I especially enjoyed the parts that talked about the variety and nuances of moles. I would highly recommend this book!