Mario Batali - Buvette The Pleasure of Good Food

This book is a collection of many joyous meals Ive shared in France and Italy and re-create daily with the help of a great number of dedicated and wonderful people. I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to my talented cooks, tireless servers, growers, food artisans, vintners, and of course my lovely guests who make Buvette such a unique and pleasurable place. I also wish to thank the many people who so effortlessly captured and shaped the spirit of Buvette for this book.

Let me start with a warm thanks to my writer, the affable and accomplished Julia Turshen, whose skill with words coupled with her intuition and innate curiosity about all things food and drink made her an awesome accomplice. With intelligence and humor, Julia guided this book from a pile of kitchen notes and hours of rambling dialogue to the final pages. She tested each and every recipe without compromising its simplicity or flavor.

I am in debt to the collaborative efforts of the award-winning photographers Andrea Gentl and Martin Hyers, whose artistic and impeccable sensibilities gave beauty to this book. They curated each shot with care using their handmade backdrops and unearthed props. I was humbled to see how easily they could elevate a simple ingredient with light and shadow into an artful subject. Thank you to the entire photography team who worked long and hard to produce the amazing images day after day. Meredith Munn, Alpha Smoot, Jennifer Koehl, Kalen Kaminski, Chaunte Vaughn, Paola Ambrosi de Magistris, and Rob Magnotta.

Special thanks to the gracious Anna Kovel, who styled and sourced the beautiful ingredients. She set the bar high with her knowledge, talent, and impeccable taste; her enthusiasm and expertise were indispensable.

I owe much gratitude to all my cooks at Buvette who contributed their talents to these pages: Erika Kirch, Yoko Ueno, Malika Lieper, Lorena Galicia, Sam Kirk, and my chef de cuisine, Jose Luna. Thank you to Caryne Hayes, our general manager, who always greeted the challenges of making a book with consummate professionalism and hospitality. I am lucky to have the participation and designs of the talented Maximiliano Poglia, who created the handsome wood-block image and graphic designs for Buvette. And to my Paris team Thomas Gardez, Claudia Bellini, and Linda Eglin Mayer, a merci beaucoup vous for sharing your passions for this project.

Years ago, Janis Donnaud, my agent, began turning the wheels of this project, which brings me to a special thanks to Karen Murgolo, my editor, and her team at Grand Central Life & Style: Kallie Shimek, Pippa White, Anne Twomey, Sonya Safro, and Tom Whatley. Thank you to book designer Gary Tooth as well.

When we needed more room to cook and shoot, our neighbor and my partner, Rita Sodi, lent us her kitchen and dining room at her restaurant, I Sodi. Thank you for the endless support and all the free lunches. I couldnt ask for a more supportive person to partner with on all scales.

I wish to thank a few of our dear suppliers for their hard work and great taste: Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers, Patrick Martins of Heritage Foods, beekeeper Claire at Catskill Provisions, Jenny & Franois, Royal Crown Bakery, forager Evan Strusinski, and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant.

And finally, to Mario Batali for always finding the joy in life and for his endless encouragement, and to Alice Waters for her support and leading by example.

Thank you all.