About the Book

Why Did I Write It? How to Read It.

This is a collection of recipes and many of their origin stories too. I set the mandate for consideration as original recipes that would at least make the first draft of a “cook for my life” menu or classics that have enough “danny modifications” that I think other cooks and chefs should follow and build upon their concepts. I will not promise readers that every recipe in this book will be the best thing you've ever tasted, but they are certainly the best versions of themselves that I've ever experienced.

The book first outlines my “system” of cooking and “base” recipes upon which other recipes will build. For example, readers get the story and recipe of a Louisiana Grandmother teaching me why and how to make a remoulade on page 27. That remoulade is then referenced for coleslaw and shrimp rolls in subsequent pages. In total, the book features more than 80 recipes for soups, sauces, salads, and steaks - yeah, those are just the "S's". 

I am incredibly fortunate to have featured recipes from two very dear and extremely talented friends. Pastry Chef Kat Schroeder shared her recipe for Key Lime Pie Cupcakes, and former chef James Sullivan shared his “Put That Shit on Everything – Dry Rub”.