“Culinary historian Joan Reardon has written an informed and elegant treatise on the kitchens in which Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, probably the greatest food writer of the 20th century, worked and cooked.”
“A straightforward biography summarizing key points in Mary Frances' life and complicated relationships, but through the intriguing slant of the many homes she lived in, particularly the kitchens she cooked in, from California to France. Irish illustrator Avram Dumitrescu paints warm vignettes of her kitchens, imparting a friendly glow to the book, and complimenting photos of Mary Frances. Whether it be the cover illustration of her kitchen in Hemet, CA, or those in her St. Helena and Glen Ellen homes, one gets a glimpse into Mary Frances, the cook.”
“Insightful. . . Needs to be enjoying a primo position on your bookshelf.”
“A quintessential voice in American culinary writing, Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher lived in more than 20 homes, often with cramped kitchens that occasionally had no refrigerator or oven. Luckily, Fisher's humor and ingenuity blossomed whether she was cooking in kitchens that were sparse or well appointed. In this biography, author Joan Reardon provides an intimate look at the eclectic homes that were the celebrated food writer's inspiration.”
“A reissue most worth paying attention to.”
“If Fisher’s name is unfamiliar to you, I’m not surprised. [Her] many books and magazine articles resulted in a cult of devotees, but never the adoration that Mastering the Art of French Cooking brought Julia Child. . . . Once you discover Mary Frances’ enchanting works, I think you’ll become a fan. . . . Through her life she celebrated the ‘triumph of an imaginative palate over the precise pages of a cookbook.’ Many of M.F.K.’s kitchens consisted of a hot plate, and, in one, a small tin oven and sink, sometimes located ‘out on the landing.” So she shopped every day, and cooked with the seasons.”
"For decades, food-lovers have taken enormous pleasure in the stories, the characters and the inimitable prose style of M. F. K. Fisher. Now we discover the kitchens and the dinner tables—the very meals that inspired M. F. K. Fisher to write. In this insightful and evocative book, Joan Reardon distills Fisher's life to its culinary essence and reveals her to us anew."—Laura Shapiro, author of Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century
"Reardon's commentary reveals an intimate understanding of the personality of M. F. K. Fisher. Few who enjoy food and read M. F. K. Fisher's work do not thirst to know more about this woman, and knowing about the places she lived and cooked gives a greater understanding of her writings, her feelings, her passions and frustrations."—Jerry Anne DiVecchio, Senior Food Editor, Sunset Magazine
“I've always admired M. F. K. Fisher's gastronomical ingenuity and vivid culinary imagination. In this rich portrait, Joan Reardon eloquently shares with us Mary Frances's great lesson: to cook well, you need only the most elementary kitchen, a mortar and pestle, and full awareness of your own five senses.”—Alice Waters
