Books for Foodies

Am I officially a Foodie? I don't know. But I have discovered that I love, love reading books about food and restaurants.

Several months ago, on the first day of April vacation, instead of taking out yet another cookbook from the library (which is so fun!), I stumbled upon The Saucier's Apprentice, by Bob Spitz. Not only did I enjoy Spitz's writing style, but I also savored the chance to tag along with him as he visited restaurants and cooking schools in Europe that I can only dream about (for now!). This book was a treat to read.


This book began my obsession of finding books written by restaurant critics and chefs. Next, I found "Heat, An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany" by Bill Buford. Although I am a huge Food Network fan and you'd think I'd be interested in reading about a man who worked for Mario Batali, I could not get through this book. I read enough about Batali to learn that he drinks a ton, and he has been known to take food out of the trash (allegedly) because it could be used for another dish. I read only about one-half of the book before returning it to the library.

This book did not stop me from finding some more books on this topic. Next, I read "Garlic and Sapphires: the Secret Life of a Food Critic in Disguise" by Ruth Reichl. I recognized Reichl's name on the shelf because she is featured on one of my favorite shows on TV, "Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie." (TiVo it!) I loved this book. Reichl describes in great detail some well known restaurants in New York City and includes some nice recipes too. Very fun.

The most recent book that I've read which falls into this category is a memoir from Linda Ellerbee called "Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table." Score! It was fun being transported to places around the world with her. I now have Greece on my list of places to visit some day.

Here's a link to Books For Foodies II.

I would love to hear from you if you know of more books I could try. Happy reading!