Letters to a Young Chef
Daniel Boulud, celebrated chef and owner of restaurant Daniel, Caf‚ Boulud, DB Bistro Moderne and the catering company Feast & Fêtes, all in New York, has written various books (Café‚ Boulud Cookbook and Cooking with Daniel Boulud) pretty much in the same vein as other successful chefs in the USA.
They've been fairly weighty affairs, with plenty of glossy pictures, recipes and dialogue giving you a feel for his cooking style and appealing to both professional and domestic cooks alike.
In his latest offering, Letters to a Young Chef, Boulud has taken a diversion from the norm and written a short book, without pictures, aimed at young cooks finishing culinary college, offering them advice and guidance with a taste of what to expect in their first kitchens and how to deal with kitchen life. Chapter headings, or "letters", include Ingredients; Your Sense of Taste; and Desire, Drive and Discipline.
The cynically-minded might say this book is a clever, albeit extravagant, recruitment book (the Culinary Institute of America being on Boulud's doorstep), but I think that would be unfair. I suspect that, more than likely, this is a book that Boulud has wanted to publish for some time.
It touches subject matter that most head chefs or restaurateurs know and talk about on a daily basis, but through putting it down in print (with a sense of familiarity towards the reader), Boulud has provided a great service to our future professionals.
He sheds light on kitchen matters - such as why anyone would want to become a chef in the first place - in a manner that encourages and consoles young cooks who, as we all know, are at the tough end of the culinary ladder. I think it is an invaluable read for these individuals. That said, everyone could benefit from reading this book.
The underlying feel is one of passion for the profession, and he enthuses about it at every opportunity. The fact that it's coming from Boulud gives the message credibility and impact - he's done the hours, worked the great houses of France and runs one of New York's best kitchens.
It has to be said that the book is aimed at those in restaurant kitchens in the main, but the book has been written to inspire, from apprentice level to executive chef. And, most importantly, it's been written for cooks by a cook.
As you can tell, I liked this book, and I wish it had been written 15 years ago. There are no photographs, no gimmicks, no gloss and no nonsense. Boulud won't be selling 20,000 copies to UK housewives, but for an aspiring young chef it's the best £12.99 they could spend. In fact, I'd be so bold as to put it up there with On Food and Cooking and Escoffier as a must-read.
Neil Ferguson is head chef of Angela Hartnett at the Connaught, London
Leters to a yound chef
Daniel Boulud
Basic Books
$22.50 (£12.99)
ISBN 0-465-00735-X
