Paper Palate

While acclaimed author Michael Ruhlman has written and co-written numerous bestselling books, his popular trilogy devoted to the art of professional cooking has endeared him to the global food community. A novice cook since childhood, his personal fascination with the culinary arts led to the writing of The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, the first book in the series, which has since evolved into a complete, authoritative literary exploration of the complex culture surrounding the work of the professional chef. Throughout this culinary trilogy, Mr. Ruhlman continually discovers the essential art of cooking is far more dynamic and profoundly spiritual than he had even remotely supposed.

In 1997, the prestigious Culinary Institute of America allowed an enthusiastic author to witness the considerable academic processes involved in becoming a professional chef. The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America chronicles Michael Ruhlman’s dramatic experience, as he attended classroom lectures, cooking demonstration classes, and observed the tough training kitchens of the Institute. After his initial introduction into this powerful and provocative world, Mr. Ruhlman further explored the culinary arts culture with two more books: The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection (2000) and The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchen (2006). The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection takes readers back to the Culinary Institute of America for direct observation of the extremely difficult Certified Master Chef exam, where for ten days, accomplished chefs perform assorted cooking tasks, while displaying various styles and techniques, under intense evaluation and analysis of method. This book accompanies three chefs on their respective culinary journeys: Chef Brian Polcyn, taking the exam and at work in his restaurant, Five Lakes Grill; Chef Michael Symon at work in his restaurant, Lola Bistro and Wine Bar; and famed Chef Thomas Keller, also at work in his restaurant, The French Laundry. In writing this book, Mr. Ruhlman discovers the secret to the awesome connective power of cooking:

In his words, from his official website:

“Great cooking, in the end, has such power because it allows us to connect with our past, our future, and all of humanity, if we let. I believe that America’s insatiable appetite for food and cooking know-how is really the beginning of a spiritual quest for the bigger things: a search for meaning, order and beauty in an apparently chaotic and alienating universe.”

The final book in the trilogy was published earlier this year. The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchen chronicles the significant social impact and political-celebrity power of the modern successful, accomplished chef. In our food obsessed culture, our most celebrated chefs routinely dictate food trends, dispel food myths, and promote both personal and ecological health-conscious, responsible food choices. The tremendous influence of celebrity chefs has become larger than their kitchens, as they are transformed into Hollywood stars with infinite marketability. This newfound power and status seems to have had both positive and negative significance within the vast world of the culinary arts. Once again, Mr. Ruhlman returns readers to the Culinary Institute of America and revisits previously observed chefs, to measure the dramatic changes within the culture. In this final book of the trilogy, he determines to provide reasons for our collective obsession with food, cooking, and those chefs we’ve transformed into famed celebrities. He attempts to discover the ultimate definition of a chef and offers personal explanation for the seemingly magical powers of cooking.

Michael Ruhlman continues to engage readers with his personal exploration of the philosophy and practice of cooking, providing a stylishly written word that is both entertaining and enlightening.

Recently, we asked Michael Ruhlman five questions:

1. You have written (and co-written) numerous books on the culinary industry. Do you have any future plans to become a professional chef?

Are you crazy?! It’s too damned hard, and too precarious a way to make a living, it’s a crazy business, and you should only become a chef if every single other option will result in your taking a gun to your head.

2. Are you currently working on additional books devoted to the culinary arts?

I’m currently working on an opinionated glossary of cooking terms modeled after Strunk and White’s masterful The Elements of Style.

3. What is your most memorable moment from the Cooking Under Fire series?

I really enjoyed the pate making, though not all of the pates! That’s my personal love, that kind of craft in cooking. The most memorable moments happened off camera–and what happens off camera stays off camera…

4. Do you have any personal thoughts on the future direction of the culinary arts on television?

I think waiting to be found is another model completely for entertainment via food and whoever figures it out will be the next emerachael.

5. Will your recent guest-blogging experience prompt you to add a personal blog to your official website?

I’m thinking about it but it’s a lot of work; normally I write to generate income, and it’s unclear what kind of indirect income blogging results in. But it was a fun thing to do, strangely exhilarating in a way I hadn’t expected.

We are sincerely grateful to Mr. Ruhlman for taking the time to answer five questions for Paper Palate.