Piccolo: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, and Alice Waters: Celebrating the Pleasures of the Table, by Joan Reardon, Four

Reardon (Oysters, LJ 10/15/84), whose articles have been published in the Los Angeles Times and Christian Science Monitor, serves up a savory biographical repast about three women who revolutioned the culinary arts in America. Breaking the traditional mold of describing food merely in terms of process and presentation, each brought forth unbridled artistic aspects previously unknown to the culinary scene.

The author recounts how M.F.K. Fisher’s culinary writings have reminded readers that food is not only a necessity but an art. She reveals how Julia Child, the grande dame of televised cookery, cultivated a renewed interest in French cuisine and gourmet foods for many Americans and how Alice Waters popularized the traditions of California cookery from her Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, with her emphasis on fresh, locally grown, and seasonal ingredients. Reardon discusses mutual friendships and parallels in the lives of these three women. She emphasizes that, with roots in California and strong influences from France, each has instilled a new artistic spirit in American cookery. Recommended for general readers.
Michael A. Lutes, Univ. of Notre Dame Lib., Ind.