Christopher Styler - Behind Every Great Chef, Theres a Mom!: More Than 125 Treasured Recipes from the Mothers of Our Top Chefs

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book is being donated to the Womens Commission for Refugee Women and Children.

Copyright 2004 Christopher Styler and Womens Commission for Refugee Women and Children

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information address Hyperion, 1500 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.

The Library of Congress has catalogued the original print edition of this book (originally titled Moms Secret Recipe File in hardcover) as follows:

Behind Every Great Chef, Theres a Mom! More than 125 Treasured Recipes from the Mothers of Our Top Chefs

p. cm.

ISBN 1-4013-0754-X

1. Cookery. 2. CooksBiography. I. Styler, Christopher.

TX714.M65 2004

641.5dc22

2003067536

Trade paperback edition (Behind Every Great Chef, Theres a Mom!) ISBN: 978-1-4013-0800-1

eBook Edition ISBN: 978-1-4013-0586-4

First eBook Edition

Original hardcover and trade paperback editions printed in the United States of America.

www.HyperionBooks.com

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book is being donated to the Womens Commission for Refugee Women and Children.

First and foremost I would like to thank the chefs, writers, and restaurateurs who have taken the time and energy to contribute to this book. Their stories, passion for food, and recipes add up to more than the sum of their parts. They are a testament to the willingness of people to share and help others less fortunate than themselves.

I would also like to thank all the people who helped get me in touch and keep in touch with all the contributors, many of whom were opening restaurants, writing books, and taping television shows (sometimes all on the same day!): Miguelina Polanco; Shelly Burgess; Norma Galehouse; Louise Holland; Zoe Wales; Sarah Hearn; Emily Burdick; Chris Whaley; Jocelyn Morse; Gina Gargano; Tiffani Faison; Teresa General; Carollynn Bartosh; Drew Gillaspie; Carol Lalli Music; Jennie Andersson; Katie Barr; and also Gladys Bourdain and Sally Oliver.

Thanks to the folks at Hyperion: Will Schwalbe developed this idea, entrusted it to me, and then kept me stoked with his enthusiasmI look forward to working with him in the future; Leslie Wells and Elisa Lee helped me handle the logistics.

Ellen Jorgensen, Roxanne Saucier, and Megan McKenna from the Womens Commission for Refugee Women and Children lent invaluable assistance.

My agent, Kim Yorio, did more than bring this project to my attention. She crashed my quiet Sunday morning at home and mapped out three years of my life.

Amy Searfoss made the calls (and the recalls), sent the emails, and kept me up to speed.

Carl from Village Camera in South Orange, New Jersey, handled treasured family photos from contributors as if they were his own.

Last, I would like to thank Joseph Seoane. When I got cranky he uncranked me. I could not have done this, and a whole lot more, without him.

Chris Styler

The Womens Commission for Refugee Women and Children would like to thank the many people who made this project possible, especially all of the fabulous chefs, and other moms, who participated.

We send our heartfelt gratitude to Chris Styler for all of his work, and the creativity and dedication he brought to it.

Our thanks go to all the people at Hyperion for everything they did to make this such a special book.

Also, a special tribute to Mary Anne Schwalbe, the mother of the Womens Commission, whose secret ingredient is a gentle yet strong guiding hand.

Finally, to the women refugees who inspire us with their strength and courage, and with whom it is a privilege to work. We are particularly honored to be a beneficiary of this project, for it brings to mind the cooking expertise of women throughout the world who, even when fleeing war or disaster in their home country, bring with them their cooking traditionsthe recipes they learned from their mothers and grandmothersto share with their families and maintain a community in their uprooted lives. Our own country, in turn, has been made richer by the recipes and cooking traditions that refugees and other immigrants have brought here.

Mary Diaz, executive director, the Womens Commission for Refugee Women and Children

Im always surprised when I hear about a chef who didnt grow up with great food, Jasper White writes in the introduction to his chapter. That simple statement is given weight by the marvelous, diverse, and extremely personal collection of recipes contributed to this book by Americas top chefs, cookbook authors, and television personalities.

The source of these recipes, as we made clear to contributors, was theirs to decide, as long as that source was a woman (or women) whose cooking and personality had inspired them. Barbara Kafka writescandidly and beautifully as alwaysabout her mothers utter inability to boil water. (I knew Barbaras mother. She didnt cook, nor could she be bothered to learn.) But had Barbaras mother learned her way around a kitchen, Rachels Perfect Chocolate Dessert would never have made it into Barbaras repertoire, nor would it appear in this and no other book.

Along with the recipes, youll find stories of extraordinary women, such as Jacques Ppins mother, who pedaled a bicycle through Frances warravaged countryside to barter with farmers to put food on the table, and women who did the most ordinary things to keep a family nourished, happy, and together.

I have worked in the food and restaurant business for thirty years and have seen the generosity and kindness exhibited by this community as they battled hunger, helped the homeless, and volunteered to teach less fortunate members of the community. But even I was stunned by the response when I asked for contributions to this book. Give a bunch of chefs a worthy cause, and there they aretying on an apron, firing up a burner, ready to go. As Sara Moulton, one of the first people I contacted for this project, put it, What can I do?

What Sara and the other contributors did, in addition to sharing their treasured recipes, childhood memories, and stories, was reach out to women and children in some of the most troubled parts of the world. The Womens Commission for Refugee Women and Children, the cause that brought this remarkable collection of talented chefs together, cares for these people, offering them education, empowerment, and a voice in their own future. Every copy sold contributes money that will benefit this extraordinary organization.

It is most appropriate that we asked our contributors to share with us recipes and stories from women who have inspired them. These recipes represent more than food; they embody tradition, a link with the past and family and community. To these chefs a kitchen is more than a room with a stove; it is the center of the home and a haven, as Michael Lomonaco points out in the introduction to his chapter. Sadly, tradition, security, and ties to family and home are all destroyed when women and children are displaced. These recipes and reminiscences will help women and children who have lost that security and continuityhopefully only for a short whileto regain them.

One look at the roster of contributors, and its no surprise that the recipes in this book are wonderful. What may come as a surprise is the variety, the absolute individuality of the choices that make this collection such a joy. Delicately seasoned shrimp grilled and served over Swiss chard flavored with fermented black beans may not have been your childhood comfort food, but it was Martin Yans. And after I tried Martins recipes, they became mine. Whatever the ingredients, whatever the seasonings, these recipes convey the warmth and comfort of a freshly baked after-school cookie.