Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux: Recipes From the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Cafe Life [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Alexandra Leaf (Author), Fred Leeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

At the Auberge Ravoux, in a tiny artists' village twenty miles from Paris, Postimpressionist painter Vincent van Gogh found a measure of peace in an otherwise ill-starred life. In what would be his last home, he enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow artists and an unparalleled burst of creativity.

The auberge still operates today as the Maison de Van Gogh. Little has changed since Van Gogh set down his bags more than a century ago, and visitors to its cafT are treated to the same regional cuisine that he dined upon.

Here is an intimate view into Van Gogh's world, as stirring as sharing poulet and pommes sautTes with the artist himself. Written by one of America's foremost culinary historians, with Dr. Fred Leeman, the former chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and including an introduction by the auberge's proprietor, this unique cookbook/art book explores life in the artists' cafT, with traditional recipes ranging from the hearty to the refined. Letters, engravings, postcards, and a selection of Van Gogh's paintings transport the reader to the turn of the century.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Beyond the well-known, sometimes lurid, events of renowned painter Vincent van Gogh's short life lies a much more mild daily existence of meals with friends and neighbors. Van Gogh's Table presents a gentle and kinder look at the visionary's world. Authors Alexandra Leaf, a culinary historian, and Fred Leeman, the former chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum, offer a tale of the artist's life through the lens of his last home, the Auberge Ravoux. Van Gogh was a constant traveler who frequently boarded at small hotels and dined in cafés. During his few months at this inn, van Gogh produced numerous magical works. As a tribute to the incredible painter, and the café life that inspired him, Leaf and Leeman have brought together stories and images of the artist's life and work with menus from his days at the Auberge Ravoux. Try recipes like Warm Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraiche or Dark Chocolate Soufflé Cake with Crème Anglaise to experience the sweeter side of van Gogh's world. If you're a fan of the great painter or a lover of French cooking, then this book is a must-have. --J.P. Cohen

From Publishers Weekly

Alexandra Leaf''s Van Gogh's Table exhibits more European charm in describing the Auberge Ravoux, where the great one-eared painter spent his final years. Fifty recipes for bistro classics such as Rosemary Roast Chicken with Pan-Fried Potatoes, and Garlic and Warm Tarte Tatin with CrŠme FraŒche, accompany generously illustrated essays that name the fellow patrons depicted in van Gogh's art and his struggle with suicidal impulses.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Artisan (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579651828
• ISBN-13: 978-1579651824
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #859,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Xmas gift! October 31, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This book has a unique combination of art and cooking. It is highly readable. It has lots of interesting facts about van Gogh in his last weeks, and about his relationship with food and drink. It has beautiful reproductions of paintings by van Gogh, but it also has many recipies that can be tried out. A great Xmas gift and a value for money! I really enjoyed it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Magnificent Book! January 7, 2006

By Anonymous

Format:Hardcover

The Grandmother's Apple Cake recipe in this book is my favorite recipe on Epicurious so I bought the book hoping the other recipes would be as good. Wow! It was so beautiful and interesting and so much more than a cookbook that I gave it to a good friend as a Christmas gift and ordered another.

This is really half art book, half cookbook. The book is co-written by an art historian (mostly the first part, which recounts Van Gogh's last days, spent in the hotel, when he churned out 70 paintings in 70 days) and Alexandra Leaf, a food historian, who together with the chef at the hotel (which exists to this day) includes recipes for dishes Van Gogh ate. They're fantastic. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Van Gogh's Table January 19, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I have enjoyed reading the historical and personalized view of Van Gogh's stay at the Auberge Ravoux. The recipes appear to be ones that can be enjoyed. My husband surprised me with the chocolate mousse the other night and it was the best I have ever eaten.
Compliments to Alexandra Leaf!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A survey of recipes from Van Gogh's last home January 6, 2002

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Hardcover

Van Gogh's Table At The Auberge Ravoux isn't just an art book, though Van Gogh's paintings form its foundation - it's also a survey of recipes from his last home, providing an intimate portrait of his world and culinary appreciations. Recipes are from the cafe and boarding house where the painter lived his final days, and provide intriguing views of dishes and art.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, Informative and beautifully Illustrated September 25, 2011

By Michele Kurlander

Format:Hardcover

This book is a deep and colorful look into the fascinating and sad life of Vincent Van Gogh and the place where it ended.

The book drew me into the artist's life, and to the Auberge and Auverse Sur Oise, which I have now visited twice in the last year. I ate at the restaurant, and stood in the small, sad room where Van Gogh breathed his last after shooting himself in the chest - a room photographed and written about in this book.

My thoughtful middle son gave me the book for Mothers Day several years ago - and I loved it from the moment I saw the beautiful cover photo of the restored Auberge Ravoux restaurant . I leafed through the color plates of the restaurant and inn, Van Gogh's paintings, the scrumptious almost edible photos of the meals in the recipe pages - replications of the food served in the nineteenth century - and even a handwritten Van Gogh letter. I read about the recent restoration of the inn to match its appearance at the time of Van Gogh's nineteenth century residency there, and the intimate details of much of the artist's life in articles and essays by professor Fred Leeman, the former chief curator of the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum and food historian Alexandra Leaf. One article is about the cafes, restaurants and auberges that Van Gogh freqeuented and painted in his lifelong search for "a room of one's own", one about his friendships and acquainceships, and another about his attempts to ward off suicidal tendencies by following Dickens' suggested infusions of food and drink - and yet another, about his complex relationship with food, and one about his final days at the Auberge. Accompanying the articles are wonderful color photos and black and white engravings....

I highly recommend the book - which I still go back to from time to time for reference. I also recommend that the reader then take the book with him or her and visit the Auberge and the town. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux: Recipes From the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Cafe Life August 23, 2011

By Willemina

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Excellent condition Fast and efficient service.Not just a fanciful fairytale as some accounts of van Gogh have proven to be.Backed up with authentic letters and history of the time this is a very agreeable read and the recipes give it that added interest.

5.0 out of 5 stars Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravooux December 24, 2010

By Ayaki

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Thank's, I went Auberge Ravooux in this september and take a runch same as table.
This is my important memorry.

5.0 out of 5 stars Vincent, Wine, Food, France -- What More Can One Ask? October 21, 2010

By Onyx Parrot

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one beautiful book. I received it recently and tonight made one of the meals from the cookbook section -- it was absolutely delicious and simple to make. This is an amazing book -- beautiful to look at, full of depth and mood, gorgeously photographed, full of prints of Vincent's work and stories of Vincent's life in Auvers -- the printing is beautiful, the paper is heavy and rich, the mood is just right. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Vincent Van Gogh and/or a fan of French food.