The School of Essential Ingredients
Erica Bauermeister, Author . Putnam $24.95 (240p) ISBN 978-0-399-15543-7
In this remarkable debut, Bauermeister creates a captivating world where the pleasures and particulars of sophisticated food come to mean much more than simple epicurean indulgence. Respected chef and restaurateur Lillian has spent much of her 30-something years in the kitchen, looking for meaning and satisfaction in evocative, delicious combinations of ingredients. Endeavoring to instill that love and know-how in others, Lillian holds a season of Monday evening cooking classes in her restaurant. The novel takes up the story of each of her students, navigating readers through the personal dramas, memories and musings stirred up as the characters handle, slice, chop, blend, smell and taste. Each student's affecting story—painful transitions, difficult choices—is rendered in vivid prose and woven together with confidence. Delivering memorable story lines and characters while seducing the senses, Bauermeister's tale of food and hope is certain to satisfy.
Reviewed on: 10/13/2008
Release date: 01/01/2009
Genre: Fiction
Hardcover - 240 pages - 9780399155437
Peanut Press/Palm Reader - 256 pages - 9781101015667
Downloadable Audio - 1 pages - 9781415962619
Open Ebook - 256 pages - 9781101015650
Hardcover - 273 pages - 9781597229449
Paperback - 272 pages - 9780425232095