Americans like food from everywhere, and we pride ourselves on trying most things. Our cities boast cuisine from Thailand, India and Ethiopia, and we have assimilated Mexican and Italian food to the point that we now consider them American.
So I wasn’t surprised when I picked up a copy of Lauren Shockey’s memoir Four Kitchens: Life Behind the Burner in New York, Hanoi, Tel Aviv and Paris, which follows her work in restaurant kitchens on 4 continents. It makes sense to me that a young American chef would want to learn how to cook food from around the world.
This fascinating memoir not only follows Shockey in her journeys, it also serves as a mini-cookbook. Shockey ends each chapter with a selection of recipes incorporating different things she’s learned, from molecular gastronomy in New York’s famed wd-50 restaurant, to French-infused cooking in Vietnam and more.
To read more of my review, please click over to the Kirkus Reviews Blog. Leave a comment there–I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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Elizabeth loves to travel and she loves to eat, so this book was a gastronomical delight. She often talks about food on her blog Planet Nomad.