Cheftalk.com cook book ? - Page 2

SlaveGirl · #16 12-01-2001, 01:19 PM

My mother in law recently published a book (self), it's on Amazon now, etc., and doing fairly well. I will ask her for any good contacts she may have, just to see if she has any advice or things to look out for.

cape chef · #17 12-01-2001, 01:45 PM

Thanks allot slavegirl

Mezzaluna · #18 12-01-2001, 02:11 PM

I wud be hapee to prufreed and spel-chek.

cape chef · #19 12-01-2001, 02:41 PM

To Funny Mezz!

Greg · #20 12-02-2001, 03:56 AM

Mezz, PLEEZ!! U shud no ther r to p's in "happee".

W.DeBord · #21 12-02-2001, 08:05 AM

I'd be happy to do whatever I can, but I sure can't spell!
Just a question. who will this sell to? profesionals or non?

Why? I have always thought a cookbook relating to themes for the professional chef was needed. Even a list of recipes that tie into a theme with-out the actual recipe would be helpful (a source book for chefs). After all, it seems to me that's when we all turn to each other for some imput. We don't always need an exact recipe, but we need ideas to save us from looking thru countless books. Like your Moulan Rouge (see I can't spell) party where even you Cape Chef wanted some feed back......????
With-in that concept, food styling ideas (they wouldn't have to be photos, even drawings of carvings or simple show piece ideas) designed for the AVERAGE chef to pull off.

Perhaps I'm alittle over board on the visual myself but I loved creating buffets with a theme and can do some really fun things with desserts, there's alot that can be done with the hot side too! But this kind of info. is never shown in pro books or combined into one book. I think that their needs to be a source to help busy head chefs pull off a theme. Group contribution and feed back like we have at this forum is what every chef needs.

Themes:
Italian night
Mardi Gras
Easter
Fourth of July
Wine tasting
Forties event
New Years Eve
Moulan Rouge
St. Pats day
Mardi Gras

or if obvious holidays are too easy do the wine tasting menus or the moulan rouge parties, all of our students chefs have tons of themes they can't figure out how to do....

????? Yes, No? Just my two cents.

shroomgirl · #22 12-02-2001, 08:36 AM

Well...there's always how to do cooking demos on two burners in the middle of the road....
I like the themes too, I think it can be geared to proficient non-chef and pro alike....

cape chef · #23 12-02-2001, 08:59 AM

Shroom, I just pictuered you in the middle of a road with your burners sauteeing chanterrels with 20 hungry foragers in line and a big moose sniffing around

Wendy, I love your idea. I have looked for help many times on cheftalk on themes. I do so many theme events is crazy. My clients might be staying with me for up to two weeks, with 3 squares a day ++++,So I am always looking for ways to add some excitment and adventure to there stay.I agree there really isn't a book that Pro chefs or serius foodies can turn to for ideas.

I like to do things alittle out of the norm with themes..IE Polinesian,Indian,middle eastern,scandinavian,Tapas,east/west fusion, and on and on. I even do a mashed potato sundie bar with assorted potatoes and lots of savory toppings and the guest make there own "potato"sundie.they love it.

But to have a book with helpful ideas,recipes and visual would help me a great deal.
cc

shroomgirl · #24 12-02-2001, 09:43 AM

Funny guy!!! I have never lived in a moose infested area...deer absolutely (they ship deer out of the Missouri parks because they are ssooooo overpopulated). There is nothing like cooking fresh found chanterelles or morels in the middle of a state park...alittle no alot of 40% cream and bagettes!!! Life is good.

I love the theme idea....
The "How to give cooking demos at a Farmer's Market" will be another book.....

W.DeBord · #25 12-02-2001, 01:43 PM

I've had that idea lurking in the back of my head for years now with sweet tables, it's one of my favorite things to do. I'd love to do a sweet table book for pro pastry chefs on themes!

I wonder how hard it is to get permission to reference other books for specific recipes?

In my head I could see this as a reference tool basicly. Something every chefs needs on his desk. Actually it's something every manager or F & B dirrector needs too. If we could present ideas both approperiate menus with some illustration they could reference their own recipes (but we should have a couple great recipes to offer). Then when that client calls they can go down our list with almost imediate feed back. You can even spin this off into just h.d. parties or just sweet tables, etc... ON THEME??!.

Or is there a reference that helps chefs like: what to do when you bought 20 cases of button mushrooms or 7 cases of strawberries and the party canceled????

Right now lots of books play out the theme, like tapas but as a chef you can't own everybook on every topic.

Sometimes it's just showing how to take the familar and give it a little twist into your theme. For instance: in pastries (sorry what I'm most familar with) for an Italian night dinner all the desserts don't HAVE to be Italian. You can make a cake that looks exactly like a plate of spegetti and meatballs (truffle meatballs) and that works in great.
Authentic is great, but sometimes you can play and be even more successful on a theme. Hope I made sense?

elakin · #26 12-03-2001, 10:44 PM

i think it's a really great idea, and it seems like something that would sell well to the general public if marketed the right way.

i'd be happy to contribute photos, recipes, or writing from my journal from when i was in italy.

hope it actually happens!

W.DeBord · #27 12-04-2001, 06:33 AM

Food for thought:

A bit off topic but....has anyone actually gathered any info on where we all reside? For instance, theres quite alot of us from the Chicago area (at least I think so). There's also a couple from sourthern WI and central IL. Some southern WI people can be in Chicago before I could from it's burbs. If there was enough interest we might be able to break off into groups, if that worked for gathering info.?

Although information can be shared over the net the exchange of photos, layouts and drawings wouldn't be as easy.

Also I don't know if anyone else has wondered about this, BUT what's stopping another person or business from stealing our concept if we post on line?

shroomgirl · #28 12-04-2001, 08:26 AM

The fact that it's Cheftalk.com and Nicko owns the rights.

Having ideas and following through are two different things, so for someone to run with it is kinda unlikely, they wouldn't have the backing of the site....that is where the majority of the marketing/PR will be generated from....

SeattleDeb · #29 12-04-2001, 09:49 AM

This non-chef and cookbook collector would like to see lots of appetizer recipes in your book!

lynne · #30 12-04-2001, 05:30 PM

You can count me in!