Anthony RoseChris Johns - The Last Schmaltz

SCHMALTZ (Yiddish):

1. melted chicken fat.

2. Excessive sentimentality; overly emotional and sentimental behavior.

Copyright 2018 Anthony Rose and Chris Johns

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisheror in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agencyis an infringement of the copyright law.

Appetite by Random House and colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Library and Archives of Canada Cataloguing in Publication is available upon request.

ISBN:9780147530035

Ebook ISBN9780147530042

Cover and book design by CS Richardson & Andrew Roberts

Photography by Kayla Rocca

Cover image: (chicken) Morphart Creation / Shutterstock.com

Interior backgrounds wanchai and Prostock-studio, both Shutterstock.com

Excerpt from Ode to an Artichoke translated by Stephen Mitchell from The Poetry of Pablo Neruda by Pablo Neruda, edited by Ilan Stavans. Copyright 2003 by Pablo Neruda and Fundacin Pablo Neruda. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Excerpt from Oda a la alcachofa, Odas Elementales 1954, Fundacin Pablo Neruda

Published in Canada by Appetite by Random House , a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

www.penguinrandomhouse.ca

v5.3.2

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For Simon Thorne Rose,

my favorite son.

You make it all worthwhile.

I love you so much.

And for Robert Wilder,

my third wife.

Thanks for the chocolate idea we never did.

Sorry I didnt eat with you.

So much more to come.

ANTHONY ROSE

For Jillian and Harper Grace, as always.

CHRIS JOHNS

Sometimes I look at Anthony and I think to myself, oh my godwhere did you come from?! I find myself wondering where he got his sense of humor and edginess. And while I wasnt surprised to learn that he was writing a cookbook, it gave me pause to remember my shy, introverted little boy who was more interested in taking apart his toys than being creative.

Although I cooked often when my three kids were young, it always took place late at night, after they had gone to bed. I looked at it as my quiet time. And Anthony didnt show much interest in either cooking or adventurous eating. His favorite food was a burger, but he only wanted to eat the hamburger bun and as much ketchup as possible. My husband, Joel, and I would look at each other in dismay, wishing for some decorum at the table. Anthony never joined me in the kitchen, but I would hear after-the-fact that when Joel and I were away, Anthony would assume the role of head chef and prepare meals for his brother and sister.

When Anthony told us that he wanted to attend culinary school instead of finishing university, I knew it would be good for him to get away from the pressures at home and figure out who he really wanted to be. But I had no idea that culinary school would introduce him to his passion and become such an important part of his lifes trajectory.

Of course, thats exactly what happened. He worked hard and grew into himself. He figured out what made him happy, and became a highly-respected chefif you ask me, his pastrami is the best youll have anywhere, ever. His Fat Pasha chicken is fantastic. His spreads and dips are wonderful. He does a dynamite chicken soup (it started as my recipe, but whos keeping track?). And dont even get me started on his hamburgers and patty melts.

This book, The Last Schmaltz , is another step in that remarkable trajectory. Together with Chris, Anthony has put together something genuinely impressive. It is not only the recipes and stories of a confident, knowledgeable chef, but a true expression of my fabulous son. I am so proud to introduce Anthony to readers everywhere, and while Im still not sure where his personality came from, I love everything about him.

LINDA ROSE , a.k.a. Anthonys Mom

Anthony Rose and Chris Johns. Name a more iconic duo. Ill wait.

Well accept Starsky and Hutch, Hall and Oates, a platonic Bert and Ernie, or those two weird old dudes down at the end of the street who are always standing around, watching the construction. Everyone else, step aside.

In the movie version of this book, Anthony and I will meet cute: both reaching for the last breaded imitation scallop at the all-you-can-eat buffet, or bumping peanut butter and banana cones at a crowded ice-cream parlor. We might meet while building a little log cabin out of waffles at a diner before discovering that one of us has short-term memory loss and learning that the other person must be won over anew each day. Okay, that last ones the plot of the 2004 Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore classic, 50 First Dates , but you get the picture.

In reality, our relationship started out a little more pragmatically.

Anthony was already working on this book before I was brought in. And I was already working on another book ( A Taste of Prince Edward County ) before I met with Anthony. Coincidentally, a few weeks before this momentous partnership took shape, my agent, who lives almost exactly midway between Rose and Sons/Big Crow and Bar Begonia/Madame Boeuf, contacted Anthony to see if he was ready to write a book and if he wanted to work together. Anthony responded with something like Thanks, but no thanks. Im already writing a book. At some point, though, he realized that his process of writing a book was turning out to be something more akin to an extended therapy session with his amanuensis.

When I first met you, I was maybe six months in and hadnt done very much, Anthony admits. Id never written a book before, and the whole thing was so confusing, I couldnt wrap my mind around it. I was busy and Im a daydreamer, and I finally figured outmonths after my editor gently told me the same thingthat I was getting nowhere fast.

Thats probably when our mutual editor, the inimitable Zoe Maslow, came up with what will surely be remembered as her greatest idea of all time and suggested that Anthony and I work together.