The Borough Market Cookbook: Recipes and stories from a year at the market
In this captivating memoir, the man whom Julia Child has called “the best chef in America” tells the story of his rise from a frightened apprentice in an exacting Old World kitchen to an Emmy Award–winning superstar who taught millions of Americans how to cook and shaped the nation’s tastes in the bargain.
We see young Jacques as a homesick six-year-old boy in war-ravaged France, working on a farm in exchange for food, dodging bombs, and bearing witness as German soldiers capture his father, a fighter in the Resistance. Soon Jacques is caught up in the hurly-burly action of his mother's café, where he proves a natural. He endures a literal trial by fire and works his way up the ladder in the feudal system of France’s most famous restaurant, finally becoming Charles de Gaulle’s personal chef, watching the world being refashioned from the other side of the kitchen door.
When he comes to America, Jacques immediately falls in with a small group of as-yet-unknown food lovers, including Craig Claiborne, James Beard, and Julia Child, whose adventures redefine American food. Through it all, Jacques proves himself to be a master of the American art of reinvention: earning a graduate degree from Columbia University, turning down a job as John F. Kennedy’s chef to work at Howard Johnson’s, and, after a near-fatal car accident, switching careers once again to become a charismatic leader in the revolution that changed the way Americans approached food. Included as well are forty all-time favorite recipes created during the course of a career spanning nearly half a century, from his mother’s utterly simple cheese soufflé to his wife’s pork ribs and red beans.
The Apprentice is the poignant and sometimes funny tale of a boy’s coming of age. Beyond that, it is the story of America’s culinary awakening and the transformation of food from an afterthought to a national preoccupation.
Author
Ed Smith is a regular contributor to Borough Market's online magazine and Market Life, its print magazine. He also writes 'Five of the Best' features for The FT Weekend Magazine, and for the Guardian, the Telegraph and various other publications. At the 2015 Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards he was named 'Best Online Restaurant Writer' and he was shortlisted for 'Best Cookery Writer'. In 2016 his blog Rocket & Squash was shortlisted for the Guild of Food Writers' Best Blog Award. His first cookbook On the Side was published in spring 2017 to great acclaim.
Review
Borough Market has played an important role in the development of British food culture. By allowing a relationship to develop between citizens and food producers, its rise has marked a new beginning for British production. Going into the Market means meeting the producers, talking to them, hearing their stories. It is a place that offers so much: history, integrity, wonderful food and the chance to really understand what you're eating. By respecting tradition, promoting sustainability and revelling in the love of good food, Borough Market provides a true representation of the philosophy of Slow Food.―Carlo Petrini, founder and president of Slow Food
Borough is one of the great European food markets, sitting proudly alongside La Boqueria in Barcelona, Testaccio in Rome and Cours Saleya in Nice. I always get a thrill when I visit, whether it's to grab an armful of puntarelle or to indulge in a Kappacasein melted cheese sandwich. The Borough Market Cookbook brings that excitement to life with a remarkable chronicle of the market's origins a thousand years ago to its renaissance in the 1990s. I loved the joyful recipes and the engaging storytelling; it's essential reading for anyone interested in food.―Russell Norman, restaurateur and food writer
This book is the perfect representation of the market itself, where seasonality, amazing produce, history, creativity and visual panache come together and just make you want to cook!It will be a huge source of inspiration for years to come.―Olia Hercules, author of Mamushka and Kaukasis
This book is a rare gem: a bible in the kitchen, a brilliant guide to using seasonal produce and a great pleasure to read.―Meera Sodha, author of Made in India and Fresh India
This glorious celebration of the vibrant buzzing community of traders and producers, of their high-quality products, values and ethos, and the pure simple joy of delicious seasonal cooking makes me want to run to the maze of alleys under the railway arches and run quickly back home to cook.―Claudia Roden