Book description
In an age where convenience often ranks above quality, many Americans
have abandoned traditional recipes and methods of cooking for fast
solutions to their hunger and nourishment needs. Modern families are
busier than ever, juggling hectic schedules that send them to
fast-food restaurant drive-through windows and to grocery stores
crowded with pre-processed and ready-to-eat foods. With parents
frequently working during the daytime, efficient food preparation in
the evenings has become the number one priority in kitchens across the
country. This trend began during the post--World War II years, which
heralded the arrival of "fast foods" and innovative
technological advancements that sought to simplify the cooking
process. These products were marketed as quick and convenient
alternatives that transformed the concept of cooking from a cultural
activity and a means of bonding with one's family to a chore that
should occupy as little time and energy as possible. Profiles from the
Kitchen: What Great Cooks Have Taught Us about Ourselves and Our Food
is Charles A. Baker-Clark's call to abandon the "homogenization
of food and dining experiences" by encouraging us to reclaim
knowledge of cooking and eating and reconnect with our ethnic,
familial, and regional backgrounds. Baker-Clark profiles fifteen
individuals who have shaped our experiences with food and who have
gone beyond popular trends to promote cooking as a craft worth
learning and sustaining. The cooks and food critics he writes about
emphasize the appreciation of good cooking and the relationship of
food to social justice, spirituality, and sustainability. Profiles
from the Kitchen highlights prominent figures within the food
industry, from nationally and internationally known individuals such
as Paul and Julia Child, James Beard, and M. F.K. Fisher to regional
food experts such as John T. Edge and Dennis Getto. The result is a
collective portrait of foodlovers who celebrate the rich traditions
and histories associated with food in our daily lives and who
encourage us to reestablish our own connections in the kitchen.
"Replete with stores of inspiring individuals who have
devoted their lives to the craft, Profiles from the Kitchen urges us
to dust off our aprons and reestablish our connection with food before
there is no one left to pass down the art of cookingand nobody left to
appreciate it." -- Manchester (KY) Enterprise
