The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Mitchel London (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This enormously enjoyable meditation on subjects like Spanish olive oil, bagels "boiled in city tap water" and the varieties of Italian pork products was penned by the cheese guru behind New York City's Fairway Market, who published in 1996 a definitive cheese encyclopedia (Cheese Primer). Less didactic, but written in the same hard-bitten but friendly style, Jenkins brings wry good humor to his chronicle of the Fairway grocery empire, following his progress from a single, smallish outlet on Manhattan's Upper West Side to a four-warehouses-and-counting institution. Along the way, he introduces readers to the countless characters, headaches and small pleasures that constitute life in the grocery business. Who knew how much work went into creating the perfect olive display? Or how much aggravation is involved in importing raw-milk cheese? Or how hard it is to maneuver cases of dairy products, especially at four in the morning? A handful of terrifically appealing recipes accompany the text, nailing just about every specialty a food lover could crave: Sauteed Veal Chop with Arugula Salad, Classic Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Lentils with Garlic Sausage, and a heavenly Rustic Apple Tart with Crème Fraiche. Among the recipes, the charming photographs, and the detailed Fairway lore, this book may convince some foodies to move to New York City-or least to do all their grocery shopping there.
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Review

"Steven Jenkins and Mitchel London have teamed up to write a book on food. Steven writes well and Mitchel cooks superbly. Believe me, you are in for a treat." -- Ed Koch, former Mayor of New York City

"Steve’s a walking catalogue of his own life, much of which has been spent inside of Fairway, which makes this book invaluable." -- Tim Blake Nelson, actor

"To have the Fairway Market and Cafe in our midst is a blessing…We are now Fairway veterans." -- Joel Coen, director, and Frances McDormand, actress

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; First Edition edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061231681
• ISBN-13: 978-0061231681
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #470,187 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steven Jenkins has done it again, July 21, 2008

By	Brook Hurst (Seattle) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Both funny and fascinating, Steven Jenkins' account of the day-to-day running of this amazing grocery store is a real page turner for foodies. Having read "Cheese Primer" I knew the quality of his writing style already, but I wasn't prepared for this book to read almost like fiction. The cast of characters are every bit as interesting as the products they promote.
Mitchel London's wonderful recipes are a delightful bonus to an already satisfying read.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bacon in book form, July 1, 2008

By	Amy Axler "Yenta" (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a funny fast and irreverent guide. You can learn enough about all sorts of comestibles, though the author wouldn't use a pretentious word like comestibles when a simple clear one like FOOD would do, to impress your friends or just feel a little more secure throwing your next dinner party. Like all the best books about food it teaches you a lot about the local culture. Sounds like there's more culture in the cheese dept than in the aisles of Fairway. It's a book worth buying because you feel smarter when you're done, unlike some of the claptrap that's been written about gracious living and good eating. Unlike shopping at Fairway, which now approaches a blood sport, it doesn't matter if you lose your place the book is just as good when you go back. If you're planning a trip to NYC it's an indispensable volume.

5.0 out of 5 stars And What A Life, September 3, 2008

By	Scott J. Hamilton (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I landed in New York on a hot July night in 1986, a mix of excitement and dread as I wandered the streets of my new hometown. Fairway was the first establishment I entered in New York City, before a bar, a church, a diner. But it's not the romance of my first NY store that keeps me such a huge Fairway fan. Instead, it's the superb quality, fine selection, and knowledgable staff that keep me shopping here after all these years. Those are clearly the same things that keep Jenkins at Fairway.

A wonderful exploration of specialty retailing, combined with a love affair with all things food, makes this book a must for any foodie. The recipes are fine--a few I'll try, most I won't--but it's the absolute devotion to the freshest, best ingredients that makes the reader consume this book one delicious page after the other.

One need not be a New Yorker to appreciate the quick wit or enthusiasm Jenkins uses in this book. In fact, one need never set foot in Fairway. But even if you live in Omaha or Oklahoma City and have even a mild interest in good food, you'll really enjoy this book.