Come In, We're Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World's Best Restaurants [Hardcover]

Christine Carroll (Author), Jody Eddy (Author), Ferran Adria (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

Peer behind the “closed” sign in the world’s greatest restaurants, and you may glimpse a packed table whose seats are elusive even to the most in-the-know diner: the daily staff meal. This insider’s look goes behind the scenes to share the one-of-a-kind dishes professional cooks feed each other.

Join authors Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy as they share these intimate staff meal traditions, including exclusive interviews and never-before-recorded recipes, from twenty-five iconic restaurants including: Ad Hoc in Napa, California; Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain; The Fat Duck in London, England; McCrady's in Charleston, South Carolina; Uchi in Austin, Texas; Michel et Sébastien Bras in Laguiole, France; wd~50 in New York City, New York, and many more.

Enjoy more than 100 creative and comforting dishes made to sate hunger and nourish spirits, like skirt steak stuffed with charred scallions; duck and shrimp paella; beef heart and watermelon salad; steamed chicken with lily buds; Turkish red pepper and bulgur soup; homemade tarragon and cherry soda; and buttermilk doughnut holes with apple-honey caramel glaze. It’s finally time to come in from the cold and explore the meals that fuel the hospitality industry; your place has been set.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the foreword:
Ferran Adrià, author of The Family Meal and owner of elBulli
"...From the hands of Jody and Christine, we are given the opportunity to enjoy staff meals around the globe."

The Daily Meal
“A great picture of different restaurants across America and Europe!”

The Daily Meal
“A collection of more than 100 recipes, the cookbook is grand in scale and contains pages and pages of beautiful photography—it would look just as good on your coffee table as it does in your kitchen, but we recommend you cook with it.”

Food Network Magazine

“You can eat like a restaurant insider.”  

Edible DC
“Come In, We’re Closed allows readers to vicariously experience that moment in the restaurant where staff pause, enjoy and remember why food matters so much to them.”  

Yum Sugar
“Come In, We're Closed gives you an after-hours look at the creative dishes professional cooks feed each other when their restaurants' doors are closed. With over 100 comfort dishes such as apple honey caramel glazed doughnut holes, foodies can explore the favorite foods of industry professionals.” 

Minneapolis Star Tribune
“The beautifully produced book takes readers into the kitchens of 25 restaurants, telling stories and sharing recipes.” 

Food Republic
“The book features the recipes from some of the most memorable staff meals served at these famed establishments, and since the dishes are made to feed hungry kitchen personnel at amazing restaurants, they tend to be super-tasty and pretty quick to execute.”

Cool Hunting
“By and large, the recipes are characterized by large yields, modest presentation and rich flavors. The aim of each dish is to please the one standard that truly matters to a line cook: taste.”

Tasting Table
“Come In, We're Closed is certainly not the first cookbook to cover the restaurant ritual of the staff meal; it is, however, the best.”

Mission: Food
“This book goes far beyond a typical cookbook. It delves into a subject matter that is more than just cooking. It's about feeding the bellies and souls of those responsible for feeding us at some of the best restaurants in the world.”

LA Weekly
“Come In, We're Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World's Best Restaurants by Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy is a coffee table-worthy title (part chef interviews, part recipes, loads of gorgeous photographs).”
 
Associated Press

“Contains recipes fit for many based on the good eats for the "families" of a variety around the country.”

New York Times
“There have been plenty of "staff meal" cookbooks, but not one that conveys the teamwork that goes into great restaurants — nor one with such alluring photographs.”

Shelf Awareness
“The authors have collected staff meals from restaurants in America and Europe, where the communal suppers look really good.”

About the Author

Christine Carroll traded in a career as a scientist for the life of a line cook nearly a decade ago while living in England. Since then, she has graduated from the French Culinary Institute, tested recipes for Saveur, and served as Director of the Bowery Culinary Center for Whole Foods Market Manhattan. A contributor to Edible D.C., she also founded CulinaryCorps, the nation's first volunteer service organization for culinary professionals. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and toddler.

 

Jody Eddy is the author of www.jodyeddy.com and contributes to several print and web publications including Food Arts, Plate Magazine, Culinary Trends, and Kinfolk Magazine. She has cooked in the kitchens of Jean Georges, Tabla and The Fat Duck and is an instructor at several culinary schools throughout America. She is the former Executive Editor of Art Culinaire Magazine and is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. She lives in New Jersey.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (October 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076244262X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762442621
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 1.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > International
  • #28 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Professional Cooking > Professional

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but know what you're getting January 3, 2013

By Joel Gabelman

Format:Hardcover

Note: This is not a review of the recipes, but more of the type of recipes in the book.

I got this thinking it was going to be like Staff Meals at Chanterelle, a book I love with great variety and accessibility. It isn't.

This is a beautiful book of wonderful looking recipes, but be forewarned, these are STAFF MEALS at some of the country's best resturants. This means:

If it's an asian restaurant, the recipe could call for fish cheeks, fish sauce, sambal, szechuan peppercorns and other asian spices. Why wouldn't they? This is, after all, the "leftovers" at an asian restaurant!

Maybe you're in the mood for a more American styled restaurant. Like chicken? Well, good restaurants make their own stock. Sometimes they have leftovers like chicken feet. How about a pot of deep fried chicken feet for a staff meal? Sounds great! Do you want to buy 2-3 lbs of chicken feet?

So, while I liked the idea, and I thought the pictures were beautiful, and I'm sure the recipes were excellent (I returned this with no problems back to Amazon for another book), I would just like to post a notice that what one restaurant considers "leftover" ingredients, might be for you, the home cook, a real pain to acquire on your own.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great concept! October 5, 2012

By KCD

Format:Hardcover

I didn't know much about the staff meal before this book, and I must say- this is such an innovative, creative concept for a cookbook. Each and every recipe looks and sounds simply amazing and the photography is stellar. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about each restaurant along with the chef interview. The writing was captivating and provided a well-described and thorough "feel" of the individuality of each establishment.
I highly recommend this book. A fascinating read with incredible recipes to boot!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for food and story lovers alike October 4, 2012

By Daniel J Slaski

Format:Hardcover

I consider myself a semi-serious foodie and bought this book with the intention of trying out many of the recipes. So far I have only made the duck and shrimp paella and it came out fantastic. That being said, the visuals and stories are captivating so unlike a regular cookbook this would be worth the price even if you never make anything. This is the future of cookbooks.