Becoming a Chef, Number Two?

[Rachel Perlow]

Andrew and Karen, thank you so much for taking the time to do this Q&A.

My question: what has changed over the last few years that compelled you to write a new edition of Becoming a Chef? I notice the new edition is about 80 pages longer, is it mostly an update or is it all new material?

[Andrew&Karen]

The first edition of BECOMING A CHEF came out in May/June 1995, and it's amazing how much the world has changed since then. The Food Network was just getting off the ground (in fact, that was our first-ever TV appearance, with Bill Boggs sitting in for Robin Leach on his talk show -- not to mention our first-ever time meeting Tony Bourdain in the Green Room, as he was featured right after us to talk about his novel BONE IN THE THROAT!), and there is only one Web site listed in that edition (for the eGG, or electric Gourmet Guide -- with whom we teamed up on one of the first online culinary shows, which was a bit ahead of its time, when AOL had only three million users).

Since then, the chef's profession has continued its evolution from a blue-collar profession into its current incarnation of "the chef-as-brand" (i.e. a spokesperson for not only restaurants but lines of food products, cookware, cookbooks, TV shows, etc.). We spend more time covering those aspects of the profession, as well as information and resources for those who are contemplating baking or pastry as a career path.

The new edition of BECOMING A CHEF features some great new interviews and sidebars, including one with Mario Batali (who wasn't even on our radar in the early 1990s) on how to open a restaurant on less than $50,000 (which he succeeded in doing with his first restaurant Po).

You'll also find some great new recipes (including Marcel Desaulniers' mother's chocolate chip cookies, which is arguably the best we've ever tasted; Amy Scherber's delicious Banana-Blueberry Quickbread; and Rick Bayless's signature Chocolate Pecan Pie).

There's also an important new discussion in Chapter 10 of chefs' involvement in various movements to bring better food to diners (e.g. organics, sustainable cuisine, etc.). And the Appendix lists dozens of new Web-based resources for chefs.

While BECOMING A CHEF's "quality paperback, with French flaps" format and design were somewhat revolutionary in 1995 for a culinary book, the world of design has come a long way since then -- so we've also updated the book's cover, interior design, and photography, which are more contemporary and fun. [We think the back cover of the new edition of BECOMING A CHEF is one of the greatest we've ever seen!]

We hope you'll pick it up and give it a browse when it comes out next month (it should be on bookstore shelves by mid-October) -- and hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed researching and writing it!

Andrew & Karen