Chefs on the Farm: Recipes and Inspiration from the Quillisascut Farm School of the Domestic Arts [Paperback]

Shannon Borg (Author), Lora Lea Misterly (Author), Harley Soltes (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2008

With the rising interest in organic and locally grown food, there is also an increasing interest in connecting the farm to the table. Chefs on the Farm describes the seasonal workings of Quillisascut Goat Cheese Farm, a small, family-run business in northeastern Washington state. There, owners Lora Lea and Rick Misterly started a "Farm School for the Domestic Arts" where every summer, professional chefs, culinary students, food writers, and others live and work on the farm. Cooking only with ingredients they find on the farm, students learn to be connected to the food they work with.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A generously illustrated look at the `seasonal workings' of Lora Lea and Rick Misterly's Quillisascut Farm in Rice, Stevens County." --Seattle Times

"This book is a must for chefs, farmers, cooks and food-lovers everywhere." --Slow Food Northern Ohio Blog

Review

"Aspiring chefs and curious foodies should pick up Chefs on the Farm."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Skipstone Press (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594850801
• ISBN-13: 978-1594850806
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #907,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kind of book!, November 28, 2008

By 

Barbara "gardener and reader" (Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chefs on the Farm: Recipes and Inspiration from the Quillisascut Farm School of the Domestic Arts (Paperback)

"Chefs on the Farm" is part cookbook, part treatise on eating locally. It focuses on Quillisascut Farm, a small, family-run business in northeastern Washington state. Richly illustrated with numerous color photographs, the book is organized by the seasons -- winter, spring, summer, fall. For each season there are several recipes featuring local foods available at that time of year along with discussion of life on the farm during that season and other aspects of the connection between farm and table. The book also includes profiles of farmers and chefs who participate in the local foods movement.

In line with the focus on eating locally and more sustainably, several of the recipes highlight less commonly know vegetables, such as heirloom varieties of beans and potatoes, and cuts of meat. One that particularly caught my eye was a recipe for oxtail and parsnip lasagna, but there are also recipes for more traditional fare such as apricot preserves. A couple of the recipes made me want to rush into the kitchen to cook, specifically coffee toffee bread pudding with cajeta sauce (a caramel sauce made with goat's milk) and cardamom-apple stuffed French toast with cider syrup.

Overall, I found "Chefs on the Farm" to be an inspirational and enjoyable window into the local food movement. Though not really a how-to book for a newcomer to eating more sustainably, the book does include a few helpful tips for book for finding local food.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for the soul, November 14, 2008

By 

Adrian McCallum (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chefs on the Farm: Recipes and Inspiration from the Quillisascut Farm School of the Domestic Arts (Paperback)

As winter closes in upon us, now is a wonderful time to stop and reflect; to heed the relentless pace of our lives, and perhaps stop, and take time to contemplate where we are.

Chefs on the Farm, is a wonderful catalyst for such action. It is a book of many facets. On one hand an earthy recipe book, of vibrant and hearty natural dishes that can sustain or enlighten us, depending on the season, and on the other hand it's also a guide to life; a promotion of all things good, that are slow, earthy and sustainable; an appreciation of how we can benefit from working with nature to extract the best from our land and our communities.

It provides a blueprint of how we can all reinteract with our surroundings and extract the best seasonal meals and produce from what nature has to offer us; perhaps also stirring and encouraging the farmer within us all.

In these pressing times, it is a wonderful tonic. Worthy of ruminating upon with a glass of wine as a hearty meal of local fare cooks slowly in the oven....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars take me to the farm! an educational journey from field to table., September 29, 2008

By 

Larry Holman "Larry Holman" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chefs on the Farm: Recipes and Inspiration from the Quillisascut Farm School of the Domestic Arts (Paperback)

I love the connections of the seasons to earth and from field to table in this book. The recipe's by Karen Jurgensen and the photography throughout the book make this a fabulous read but more importantly a great recipe book to have in the kitchen. Whether you are yearning to be on the farm or wanting to have a deeper understanding of the labors that go into real food before it arrives in your kitchen, this is one of those recipe books that you'll want to share with friends.

The forward by Tom Douglas is a testimony to the farmer that resides in each of us.