Besh - My family table: a passionate plea for home cooking

My Family Tablecopyright 2011 by John Besh and Dorothy Kalins Ink, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

an Andrews McMeel Universal company

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

www.chefjohnbesh.com

E-ISBN: 978-1-4494-1877-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011923008

Produced and edited by Dorothy Kalins,
Dorothy Kalins Ink, LLC

Book design by Don Morris, Don Morris Design

Photographs by Maura McEvoy

Design editor: Carol Helms

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JOHN BESH was born into the culinary riches of South Louisiana and is a frequent spokesman in the news and food media. In his seven acclaimed restaurants (August, Lke, La Provence, The American Sector, Domenica, Besh Steak, and Lke San Antonio), and Besh Restaurant Group Catering, he is dedicated to preserving local heritage and ingredients.

Besh has earned great praise: Food & Wines Top 10 Best New Chefs in America, and his flagship restaurant, August, made Gourmet magazines Guide to Americas Best Restaurants. In 2006, Besh won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southeast; in 2009, Food Arts Silver Spoon Award for revitalizing the culinary legacy of New Orleans. He is a frequent guest on NBCs Today show, and appears often on the Food Network and the Sundance Channel. Johns first book, My New Orleans, was nominated for a James Beard Award and won the 2010 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for best American cookbook. He hosts Chef John Beshs New Orleans on American Public Television. In 2011, Besh launched a culinary scholarship program for a minority student from New Orleans.

A former U.S. Marine, Besh has created quality meals to be distributed to thousands of emergency response operations worldwide, promoting Gulf Coast food culture and the Louisiana economy. He lives with his wife and four sons outside New Orleans.

www.chefjohnbesh.com

My Family Table was produced and edited by award-winning editor and writer Dorothy Kalins, founding editor of Saveur, and director of Dorothy Kalins Ink, LLC.

IT IS WITH THE UTMOST HUMILITY that I thank my gracious wife and best friend, Jenifer, for our beautiful life on the bayou with our boys: Brendan, Jack, Luke, and Andrew, who fill each day with utter joy. Countless meals have been inspired by the love that emanates from our home. A meal is so much more than dinner; it can be and should be an act of love. I thank my family for both the grounding and inspiration that they give me and for the patience they showed as I have evolved as a man, a father, and a chef. If asked what my last meal would be, Id reply, any Sunday supper at home, cooked with love, for people I love.

I am most grateful to my mother and father for giving me such great memories of food and family and for showing me the importance of our own family table. I learned more there than any classroom could ever teach.

This book would not have been written had I not been pressed by my loving friend and editor Dorothy Kalins, who shares a passion for cooking at home with family and friends. Had it not been for her vision, I would have no way to fully articulate what is most important to me. Dorothy brought together our like-minded creative team: photographer Maura McEvoy (and her daughter Oona); design editor Carol Helms; and the books designer, the talented Don Morris (who designed My New Orleans, too)all of whom worked on this book with passion and a sense of joy.

My sisters-in-law Mary Beth Berrigan and Kim Bourgault worked tirelessly on organizing pages and pages of longhand chicken scratch, all the while tending to the whims of an impassioned chef and brother whos a bit on the demanding side. Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to this great book.

I would be remiss if I didnt thank my partner Octavio Mantilla for his support and dedication to my countless causes, none of which would have come to fruition if not for his efforts.

While my dear friends and in-laws Patrick and Erin Berrigan were on vacation, they let us commandeer their beautiful home as a location that captures the essence of our family table. Thank you for your love and support for this project as well as for all my other harebrained ideas.

I really appreciate the passionate efforts of chefs Mike Gulotta, Erick Loos, and Junior Ganucheau, who have supported this project from start to finish. They are not only great chefs but in a sense the family who made it possible for me to dedicate myself to My Family Table.

And once again, gratitude to our exemplary publisher Kirsty Melville, who believes in us and lets us go! And to her team at Andrews McMeel, especially Jean Lucas and Deri Reed.