A Chef's Tale

“In these memoirs, legendary chef Pierre Franey reminisces over a rich life, placing an emphasis on hard work, playfulness, and great taste.”—Booklist

“With characteristic respect for both the food and the home cook, Franey offers recipes for such basics as fish broth, Coq au Vin and Creme Brulee and more elegant treatments such as Lobster Pavillon and Quenelles de Brochet Lyonnaise. This is an enchanting memoir and a worthy collection of recipes.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Franey] looks back with clarity, precision, and considerable charm on his Burgundy childhood in a food-centered family; his rigorous training in Paris eateries (after leaving home and school forever at 14); and his American career as a French chef making his name in restaurant kitchens, newspaper columns, cookbooks, and television series. ‘Anyone who has ever tried to cook well knows that about fifty percent of the job is focus, the willingness to concentrate,’ Franey notes. His own ability to focus on the details of food preparation combines with the specificity of his recollections to make his memoir solidly evocative.”—Kirkus

“I was thrilled to read A Chef’s Tale, and to learn more about Mr. Franey’s brilliant career. For me and our generation of French American chefs, he was our idol. Not only is he a great chef, but as his book shows, a very special man.”—André Soltner, French Culinary Institute, New York

“Pierre Franey’s memoir is very close to my heart. He has been a mentor and an inspiration to me. His recollections are truly a history of the way food has evolved in America during the last quarter century.”—Jacques Pépin

“A wonderful book. A tale of a great chef and a wonderful man.”—Sirio Maccioni, Le Cirque