Cooking with Heart and Soul [Hardcover]

Isaac Hayes (Author), Susan DiSesa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 9, 2000

Long before Isaac Hayes became the voice of "Chef" on the wildly popular and irreverent television show South Park, he was a food lover. His fondest and most enduring memories are those associated with his Tennessee boyhood and helping his grandmother to prepare traditional Southern soul food. Before becoming an Academy Award-winning composer, Hayes was a short-order cook. And somewhere in a career spanning more than four decades, he was a single father who cooked for five children and shared recipes with friends, professional chefs, and family. The commercial successes in music, film, television, and radio came and went and came again-but always there was the food.

Cooking with Heart and Soul is pure Isaac Hayes-one part hot buttered soul, one part chocolate salty balls, and a big helping of comfort. It's a mix of traditional home cooking and healthy eating, with a touch of the gourmet-and lots of stories from a life lived to the fullest. This is a rare collection of recipes and reminiscences that reveals Isaac's passionate and eclectic interests from soul food and soul music to superstars and super-nutrients. It is as inspiring and satisfying as his Mama's Fried Cream Corn recipe.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of memoir-style cookbooks, Shaft, South Park and soul music, as well as those in need of some basic Southern-style recipes, will find the perfect example of niche marketing in the new book Hayes dishes up. Sandwiched between easygoing recipes like Delta Fried Catfish and Sweet Potato Pie with Walnut Streusel is Hayes's story of his poor Tennessee youth and rise to music-industry fame. Occasionally the recipes blur his roots and career, such as with his South Park-inspired Chocolate Salty Balls ("Chef [the character for whom Hayes provides the voice] loves music, women, and sex. And I do, too!") and Deep-Fried Jive Turkey, which calls for a whole bird to be deep-friedAin five gallons of peanut oil. Most of the foods offered up are borrowed from friends and family, and since Hayes has a lot of famous pals, there is a litany of entertainment-biz entr?es, including Wesley Snipe's Rum-Glazed Cornish Hens with Apple-Sourdough Stuffing, Anne Archer's Homemade Spaghetti and John Travolta's Hamburger Royale with Cheese, to name a few. Hayes ends the book by confessing that he now eats only "healthy" food: brown rice for breakfast, steamed veggies and pasta for dinner. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Isaac Hayes is a musician, actor, radio host, and television personality. He has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and the NAACP Image Award among others, and has had several gold and platinum singles and albums. He is currently the voice of "Chef" on South Park and the top-rated deejay on KISS-FM, a New York radio station. Honored for his humanitarian efforts in both Africa and the United States, he was the international spokesman for the World Literacy Campaign, in which he remains actively involved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (November 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399146563
• ISBN-13: 978-0399146565
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,013,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth as Shaft, Cool as snow, November 22, 2000

By 

Erik (Michigan US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking with Heart and Soul (Hardcover)

This is book would have to be without a doubt the absolute guide to soul food. The delicious meals are always complimented by pictures that would make the gumbo cry. Sinfully delicious is what I can say about this book. If you want a hearty meal with a smile to match, buy this cook book... FAST

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious Memphis Memories..., December 5, 2003

By 

Sheree Renée Thomas, Wanganegresse Press (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking with Heart and Soul (Hardcover)

A disclaimer: This great cook book was based in part on some of my great-grandmother's recipes, so I have to tell you from the jump that I am a completely biased reader. I love it! Opening it was like going back home and the memories of my family's good cookin--grandaddy's, too, makes my mouth water even as I write this. The recipes are well written--easy to follow meals that are hassle-free to prepare. There's a nice variety from folk who clearly know their way around a kitchen, so if you like Southern cuisine with a nod toward healthy-living, this is a cookbook for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot-buttered food for the soul, September 18, 2006

By 

Tamika Nicole Mcghee "Miss Lady" (Montgomery, Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking With Heart & Soul (Hardcover)

This well-written, easy to follow cookbook is not only one of my favorites to draw from when I'm feeling creative in the kitchen. It is also one of my favorite reads. The stories that Isaac tells from his growing up...to his stardom as THE most creative force in soul music...to the point that he is now will make you read them over & over again. Not to mention the fact that recipes are so wonderful! For starters, the Million-Dollar pie is delicious. The fried corn is off the chain. And the lemon meringue pie will make you wanna slap somebody for real! The whole cookbook gets a "Lawd Have Mercy!" from me. Thanx Isaac!