Women Chefs of New York

In 25 portraits of women who own and cook in New York’s restaurants, food journalist and blogger Arumugam (Chop, Sizzle, and Stir) sheds light on how these chefs arrived at the forefront of New York’s restaurant scene. Biographical essays and inquisitive, lighthearted interviews reveal how personal culinary memories, training, creativity, and persistence without compromise keep the chefs at the top of their game. Recipes are organized by culinary region (American, Mexican/Spanish/Latin, Asian, and Mediterranean/Middle Eastern) with a concluding section on pastries. Each chef’s restaurant provides recipes for four signature plates. Amanda Cohen’s vegetable-focused Dirt Candy is a recipe for grilled Swiss chard gnocchi in goat cheese sauce. The Spotted Pig’s April Bloomfield (James Beard Best Chef of N.Y.C.) shares her recipe for an Italian-inspired roasted pork shoulder with chianti. Shef Sohui Kim of the Good Fork provides a Korean-style bouillabaisse recipe, and Jody Williams (Buvette Gastrotheque and Via Carota) contributes a fried rabbit dish infused with rosemary butter and served with crunchy artichokes. Jennifer Yee of Noho’s Lafayette offers a pistachio macaron tartlet with white chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries. Arumugam believes it’s time to challenge the media’s preference for male chefs and correct the “imbalance of shelf space” dedicated to noteworthy leading female restaurateurs. These stories and recipes will inspire women to pursue culinary careers. (Oct.)