Review of "Magic in the Kitchen" by Jan Bartelsman

Not just a cookbook, Bartelsman has given us a cavalcade of American Chefs. The author toured around the United States for about a year in order to meet, interview and photograph the culinary masters. The collected gems are gathered into a handsome coffeetable book. These great chefs have provided recipes and personal comments to fill this book with insightful contents. The names of these chefs are a Who's-Who list of the American culinary elite. Of course, we lead off with Julia Child, the original television mentor and teacher to so many of the great amateur chefs in our own little kitchens. She introduced American viewers to French cooking and we love her. She tells us that she has never had her own restaurant because she knows too much about the business and that she herself is not a chef.

Nobuyuki Maqtsuhisa is another contributor among the 44 Chefs that were integral to this beautiful cookbook, which includes many names you will recognize, and some you might not, but whom you will enjoy meeting as well as trying out their excellent recipes.