I have a friend who reads cook books like novels. I use cook books for visual inspiration and then usually forget about them. There are exceptions, but that is another post.
My current non-fiction crush happens to be a cookbook, and even better, a book where I get to visit the the setting and the characters anytime I want. (during business hours, of course, otherwise it would be stalking)
Bi-Rite Market’s: Eat Good Food is a story about accepting one’s fate, but designing it as well. It is a guide to navigating food stores, to connecting to the people that produce and cultivate our food and preparing beautiful dishes that honor us and our ingredients. It is the story of Sam Mogannam. (sounds good, huh?)
I know that I live in a bubble. There are about 5 specialty food stores within a 2 mile radius of my house. I don’t faithfully shop at any of these stores and it wasn’t until I read Bi-Rite’s: Eat Good Food that I realized what a incredible place Bi-Rite really is. I had been in for minutes at a time, but I really shopped there the other day to see if the magic from the book really exists at the store and it does! I can’t say that the employees greeted me with Southern charm because this is San Francisco afterall, but these people really know/care about the food and products that they sell. They drank the Kool Aid and, now, I have too! I haven’t always lived in the mecca of organic, sustainable and she-she fru-fru. I’m from the LBC, but I have tasted this passion and attention to detail in the small stores that I was lucky enough to frequent in Spain and Colombia.
The book, the book, yes, the book. If I can say one thing to describe Bi-Rite is that there is a soul and pure intention behind the store that comes through in everything you see, smell, touch and buy. The book is a beautiful written embodiment of the store. I can’t wait to hear what you think! If you can’t shop there, at least you can experience it in book form.
CLICK HERE TO PEEK INSIDE THE BOOK!
IF YOU COME TO SF YOU HAVE TO:
Visit Bi-Rite Market.
Visit Bi-Rite Creamery and have the salted caramel ice cream.
Take a Class at 18 Reasons. I haven’t, but will soon.
Thank you Sam and Dabney for writing this book.
(I hope you don’t mind that I am calling you by your first name when we haven’t met, but it would be weird to write, “Thank you Mr. Mogannam and Mrs. Gough?)
I LOVE Bi-Rite Creamery! I didn’t know they had a market – I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
LOVE this cookbook! So beautifullly done, recipes look amazing and its informative about everything from shelf lives of different legumes to why you should always by olives unpitted. Thank you Claudia for sharing! –
[…] The exception to my cook book rule is Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food cookbook. It is far more than just a cookbook. Pin It Posted by claudia on October 24, 2012 at […]