One of the most influential chef-restaurateurs of all time reflects on
a career defined by surprising, delicious food.
From his first apprenticeship in France to his Michelin-starred
restaurant empire, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's cuisine is inspired by
the freshest ingredients, the simplest techniques, and the drive to make
the ordinary perfect. It all started at home.
Jean-Georges was born in Alsace in Eastern France to a family in the
coal business. He spent his childhood watching, mesmerized, as his
mother produced elaborate lunches each day at 12:30 p.m. sharp and
exquisite dinners at exactly 7:30 p.m. Served rich goose stew and tender
roasted local vegetables, Vongerichten's palate was forever transformed,
and such were the origins of his culinary genius.
JGV is an invitation into the kitchen with a master chef. With humor
and heart, Jean-Georges looks back on success and failure, sharing
stories of cooking with legendary chefs Paul Bocuse and Louis Outhier,
traveling in search of new and revelatory flavors, and building menus of
his own in New York City, London, Singapore, Sao Paolo, and back in
France. Every story is full of wisdom, conveyed with the magnanimity and
precision that has made this chef a household name.
Anchoring this remarkable memoir are 12 recipes that have defined
Jean-Georges' career: an egg caviar still on his menu 40 years after his
mentor taught him the simple preparation; shrimp satay with a
wine-oyster reduction from his landmark Lafayette restaurant; a pea
guacamole that had President Obama tweeting; and more.
Enlivened with his hand-drawn sketches and intimate photographs, JGV
is an audiobook for young chefs, as well as anyone who has ever stood at
a stove and wondered what might be.
