truenorthern

I think you mean Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks It's a great place. She's not in Yaletown anymore though. She's in Kitsilano on W. 2nd near Burrard and on Granville Island in the Netloft, across from the market.

Gastronomie et forêt by Christiane Gauthier, Jean-François Lacroix and Paul-E.Lambert (en Francais) An Edible Journey : Exploring the islands' fine food, farms and vineyards-Vancouver Island with Elizabeth Levinson Chow: from China to Canada: memories of food + family-Janice Wong You can't go wrong with any of these plus anything by Karen Barnaby

How do you feel about the Professional Chef and McGee? ← Claudia, I haven't read the Professional Chef. I do have a copy of McGee's 2nd edition and I love it. It's really a masterwork.

W.C Fields, when asked if he like children "Yes, as long as they're not overcooked" (do it with the voice. It's funnier)

I wonder about his passion for food. From the tone of the prose he seemed quite lost after acheiving them

I can vouch for "Reach of the Chef" too

and for those of you thinking of changing professions... ← HE QUIT WHAT!!! Say it ain't so! I've been smoking vicariously through him for years! I hope he still drinks.

I thumbed through the book at Chapter's and I must say I was disappointed. Too much photography and not enough of Bourdain's snarky, malicious prose. I put it back and picked up Reichl's "Tender to the Bone" instead. Admittedly it's vibe is a bit different. Sorry Bourdain. If it's any comfort to you "Kitchen Confidential", "A Cook's Tour", and "The Nasty Bits" are getting really dog eared and are due for replacement.

I am looking forward to picking up my copy of our Michael's book. I too prefer this type of culinary book to rote recipes. Folks, let's not forget there are other references that might be old but I hold as essential. They're a must for any cook, amateur or pro. 1. The Chef's Compendium of Professional Recipes by Renhold, Foskett and Fuller 2. La Repitoire de la Cuisine by Lewis Saulnier. The former got me out of a lot of hot water as an apprentice. The latter is invaluable, should you have tongue julienne and cock's combs that need using up.