Women of Taste: Recipes and Profiles of Famous Women Chefs [Paperback]

Beverly Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1999

Women chefs have finally gained the world's esteem as serious exemplars of their craft. Women chefs proliferate the ranks of all kinds of cooking, from classic French to country Italian to designer Californian. These chefs had to jump extra hurdles in proving themselves, and their stories will be interesting to all food lovers as well as ambitious culinary students.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For too many years a woman's place was in the kitchen--except when that kitchen happened to have a restaurant attached to it. Though every woman was expected to be a good cook, conventional wisdom declared that only men could be great chefs. Fortunately, women haven't been paying attention to conventional wisdom, as Women of Taste makes abundantly clear. Here are the stories of 32 talented and courageous women chefs, told in their own words and accompanied by a sampling of their culinary wizardry. There is Andree Abranoff, for example, a woman who never took a formal cooking class in her life, yet presides over the highly respected New York eatery, Café Crocodile. And Gale Gand, whose family was crushed when she announced she wanted to become a chef, since they believed cooking was something you did "because you can't do anything else." Their attitude has changed since Gand's ascent to the top of her profession as a pastry chef.

In addition to biographies of these women and their own discussions of food, cooking, and their struggles to gain recognition in a male- dominated profession, Women of Taste includes mouthwatering photographs of the chefs' specialties, plus delectable recipes at the back. This book is proof that women chefs are baking their cake and having it, too! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Russell (Women of Design, LJ 1/93) profiles 32 female chefs from the United States and Canada, along with 175 of their favorite recipes. Pioneers in the hotel industry such as Susan Weaver and Carrie Nahabedian, famous restaurateurs like Susanna Foo and Josefina Howard, and culinary impresarios such as Nancy Oakes and Patricia Williams are welcome choices. There is also a snappy interview with Julia Child. Each chef interview is preceded by commentary from the author about the chefs and their restaurants. But color pictures of the dishes accompany the interviews instead of the recipes, which are separated from their respective chefs by other chef commentaries and interviews. In addition, the recipes require preparations of professional complexity that would be difficult for the uninitiated to execute. Despite these drawbacks, Russell's respect for these women in a male-dominated profession is sensitively reflected here. Recommended for cookery collections. [See also Ann Cooper's A Woman's Place Is in the Kitchen, reviewed above.?Ed.]?Andrew Acker, New Yor.
-?Andrew Acker, New York
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471331791
• ISBN-13: 978-0471331797
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,337,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beverly Russell, born in London, UK, emigrated to the US in 1967, and became a US citizen in 1972. She had a long career in London and New York as a newspaper reporter, magazine writer and Editor in Chief of a national magazine.

She is renowned for her creative thinking, promoting ideas to audiences in both the business and academic fields. She has produced major traveling exhibitions, organized major events to celebrate landmarks in corporate organizations and educational institutions.

After being appointed Vice President of (then) BPI Publishing in 1990, in 1992, she launched her own consulting and publishing company, Beverly Russell Enterprises, based in New York, to pursue independent projects.

From 2001- 2006 she lived in Los Angeles, California contributing articles to various publications. In 2006, she moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she now lives most of the year.

She is the recipient of over 20 awards for creative publishing, including a Neal Award, the "Oscar" of the business publishing industry.

She has been honored by numerous institutions, including the American Academy in Rome, and holds two Honorary Doctorate Degrees in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, New York, and Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids.

Her most recent project, the children's book, "The Adventures of Kundun the Golden Cat." was published by Beverly Russell Enterprises in December 2009. See her website, www.beverlyrussell.com for more information.