Good Taste
A Life of Food and Passion
To say that Chef Alain Ducasse, the recipient of 21 Michelin Stars, is a legend in the culinary world would be an understatement. Now, in his memoir Good Taste, Ducasse reveals his vision of cuisine: naturality, or a style of cooking that is first and foremost about interpreting nature. He writes about how he cooks, what influences him, and about food as shared emotions or ineffable stories needing to be told.
Starting with childhood memories of cooking with his grandmother on his family farm, Ducasse traces his growth and development as a young chef. He discusses his restaurants and cooking schools, which are scattered all over the world. All is shaped by his overriding drive to travel, see, and taste the world.
Nature is Ducasse’s muse throughout. He explains that terroir, or an ingredient’s place of origin, is the driving factor of what food should taste like. Yes, a mushroom should taste like a mushroom, but a chef should also handle a mushroom so that the finished dish is the best expression of a mushroom that it can be. This drive to “come up with a flavor, an element specific to everything that nourishes” suffuses Good Taste, a book that will be an inspiration to all who love to cook.
Reviewed by
Eric Patterson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
