Rebel at the table Great food and stimulating prose come together in this provocative insider's memoir of a life driven by a passion for fine cuisine and the good life. Former Town & Country food and wine editor James Villas not only delivers a delectable tale of his personal and professional odyssey in Between Bites: Memoirs of a Hungry Hedonist; he also provides an exclusive peek at the machinations of America's vibrant gastronomic revolution of the past forty years. By turns witty and poignant, sometimes controversial and irreverent, and always candid and opinionated, this compelling narrative pinpoints the exploits of a personal journey filled with a lively cast of fellow gastronomes: Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, James Beard, Paul Bocuse, M. F. K. Fisher, Jeremiah Tower, and many more. With outspoken revelations about the best and worst of all things gastronomic, Villas celebrates his own rebellious values while commenting freely on the foibles of both contemporary chefs, restaurateurs, and the eating public.
James Villas (New York City and East Hampton, NY) is the author of a dozen cookbooks and books on food, and his work has appeared in Esquire, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and The New York Times. He is a recipient of the James Beard Award.
Table of Contents
Preface: I've Seen the Elephant. Chapter One: From Grits to Gaul. Chapter Two: Hungry for New Horizons. Chapter Three: Learning to Break the Rules. Chapter Four: Lost in Puff Pastry. Chapter Five: Born to Serve. Chapter Six: How to Tame a Wolf. Chapter Seven: An Appetite for Risk. Chapter Eight: Never Enough Caviar. Chapter Nine: My Master Class. Chapter Ten: One Chromosome Away from Happiness. Chapter Eleven: Bocuse and Me. Chapter Twelve: Dubious Lessons from a Hired Belly. Chapter Thirteen: Feasting with Giants. Chapter Fourteen: In the End is the Beginning. Epilogue: An Optimistic Rebel. Acknowledgments. Index.
Author Biography
JAMES VILLAS was the food and wine editor of Town & Country magazine for 27 years. His work has also appeared in Esquire, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, and many other publications. A recipient of the James Beard Award, Villas is the author of more than ten cookbooks and books on food, including two that have been included in Food & Wine's annual "Best of the Best."
