LA CHEF COOKBOOKS
By Victor Chi
For dineLA.com
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Patina chef Joachim Splichal saw the wrong way to feed kids firsthand. “I grew up in Germany,” Splichal said. “We had the worst diet. It was pork, pork, pork. Every day. Lunch and dinner. Pork. No fish. No salad. I’m the bad example.”
When his wife became pregnant, Splichal decided he wanted to do things differently. The result was a cookbook titled Feeding Baby: Everyday Recipes for Healthy Infants and Toddlers.
“I meet a lot of people who tell me they have had a great experience using the book with their kids,” Splichal said. “It’s very satisfying to me because how you are brought up eating can develop your taste buds.”
Splichal is one of many renowned chefs in Los Angeles who have authored cookbooks. Just as they developed a style or specialty that distinguished them in the culinary world, these chefs realized they needed to take a unique angle with their literary projects.
Splichal tapped into a previously overlooked segment by focusing on feeding kids fresh and organic foods. Sherry Yard, executive pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck’s family of restaurants, found success combining a few approaches into a single book. Desserts by the Yard is a travelogue, memoir and recipe collection rolled into one. Nancy Silverton has covered a range of food (pastries, breads, sandwiches) in her cookbooks, and she is planning another to be done in collaboration with her Mozza partner, Mario Batali.
“My books are motivated by what I am passionate about at that time,” said Silverton, author of A Twist of the Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes.
“You’re never going to see a second volume from me, like ‘Desserts by Nancy Silverton’ followed by ‘Small Desserts by Nancy Silverton’ and then ‘Large Desserts by Nancy Silverton.’ Each book is a very separate area.”
Cookbooks can also help chefs market their restaurants. Suzanne Goin is among those who included the name of her restaurant in the book title with Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, co-owners and chefs at Border Grill in Santa Monica and Ciudad Downtown, have done five books. Four feature Latin cuisine just like their restaurants.
“The books are nothing to get rich off of, but it keeps our name out there,” Feniger said.
Quality control is an important aspect of the process. The chefs understand that if a recipe is a dud, it reflects badly — and personally — on them. “If you’re going to take the time to write a cookbook, make sure it’s clear and well-tested,” Silverton said. “We hire recipe testers who are very, very careful to check that they work and they’re practical.”
The bottom line is that their reputation is linked with the product. That’s why Feniger said their books, which include Cantina and Mesa Mexicana, emphasize tips and techniques rather than fancy food photography.
“We take pride in that,” Feniger said. “The food might be a little ugly, but it’s going to taste good.”
And that makes a book worth the effort. But make no mistake: it does take effort. Akasha Richardson, who opened up Akasha in Culver City earlier this year, has two cookbooks to her credit, Hollywood Dish and The Art of Tofu. But she is dubious about creating another based on her new namesake establishment.
“I can’t,” she said. “The writing part is brutal.”
Akasha, 9543 Culver Blvd., Culver City, 310.845.1700
Border Grill, 1445 4th St., Santa Monica, 310.451.1655
Ciudad, 445 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, 213.486.5171
Cut, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.276.8500
Lucques, 8474 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323.655.6277
Osteria Mozza, 6602 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323.297.0100
Pizzeria Mozza, 641 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, 323.297.0101
Patina, 141 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, 213.972.3331
