The authors of these memoirs used cooking as a path to self-discovery. These delicious personal narratives are available from the Lititz Public Library.
32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line by Eric Ripert
Growing up in the South of France, Ripert found his calling when a locally renowned chef took him under his wing, sharing a love of food and a desire to become the best.
Bon Appétempt: A Coming of Age Story (With Recipes!) by Amelia Morris
Food blogger describes her chaotic childhood and a string of ill-fated jobs in her twenties that led to experimenting in the kitchen and finding a more meaningful life.
Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin
Over the course of 195 weeks, a food writer set out to cook – and eat – a meal from every country in the world, an endeavor that allowed her to unlock unhappy memories and find peace in her life.
Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor
A twenty-eight-year-old woman cooked her way back to health after a near-fatal aneurysm left her without a sense of smell or sight in her left eye.
All or Nothing: One Chef’s Appetite for the Extreme by Jesse Schenker
Iron Chef winner channeled the energy that fueled an addiction into making a name for himself in the fast-paced, competitive New York restaurant scene.
Julia Child Rules: Lessons on Savoring Life by Karen Karbo
An examination of the sunny, unpretentious chef and cooking show star with an eye towards learning how we too can savor life with wit and flair.
Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me About Life, Love and the Power of Good Food by Darlene Barnes
Newly arrived in Seattle, a woman lands a job as a fraternity house cook, bringing fresh food to an audience accustomed to unidentifiable casseroles and turning a maligned job into meaningful work.
Love, Loss and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi
Top Chef television personality chronicles the remarkable people who shaped her life.
Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan
Stand-up comedian shares thoughts on all things culinary and his love of food.
Double Cup Love: On the Trail of Family, Food and Broken Hearts in China by Eddie Huang
Contemplating marriage to his all-American girlfriend, the author decided to return to the land his ancestors abandoned and sample the best food in China.
Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-In-Law by Katherine Wilson
Arriving in Naples to intern at the US Consulate, a young woman meets a handsome Italian and is immediately enveloped by his family, beginning an education in Neapolitan culture, traditions and food.
Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard and the Reinvention of American Taste by Luke Barr
More or less coincidentally, in the winter of 1970, iconic culinary figures gathered in Provence and inadvertently launched the modern food movement.
My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story, with Recipes by Luisa Weiss
A blogger broke off her engagement to a handsome New Yorker, quit her dream job and found her way to a new life, a new man and a new home in Berlin.
Nine Lives: A Chef’s Journey from Chaos to Control by Brandon Baltzley
At twenty-six, the author lays bare his story of culinary triumphs, consuming drug addiction and continuing quest to stay on top while staying sober.
Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
An Ethiopian orphan learned to love food and cooking through his adopted Swedish grandmother and grew up to become a world-renowned chef.
Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
Before opening an acclaimed New York restaurant, the author spent twenty fierce, hard-living years in kitchens around the world trying to find purpose and meaning in her life.
August 12, 2016