Well written, heartwarming, a feel-good story. This book will make you want to be a better cook, it will make you hungry (glad I read it before the New Year's resolutions!), and it will make you want to slow down and enjoy life a bit more. Sometimes books like this don't get the respect of a really devastating story, but there is a real sweetness and goodness to this book that left me wishing that the book was a little longer. ( )

A really wonderful book about food and companionship and its ability to bring people together. ( )

I listened to this book via audio on my mp3. I listened when I was unwell but I was hooked almost immediately because of the narrator's voice and the beautiful writing. It is a lush read ( )

Light and delicious... reads more like a collection of related short stories than a novel. ( )

A fluffy book we read as a group. Nice story, could have been elaborated on much more! ( )

An excellent book! 8 students gather at Lillian's restaurant for a cooking class. It becomes so much more. An awakening of the senses and the heart. Read how the strangers came together, how they slowly grew and the unexpected turns their lives take. Everyone should read this. ( )

The love of cooking mixed with various lives that are influcened ( )

I loved this book! Lillian is the owner of a magical little restaurant where she also teaches cooking. Like Vianne in Chocolat, Lillian seems to know exactly what recipe each of her students needs to get on with their lives. A beautifully written story with amazing descriptions of food. ( )

Thank you to G. P. Putman’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. This is the author’s debut novel and I think it is very successful. I particularly enjoyed the format of the book with each chapter focusing on one of the characters while continuing to move forward the story line.

Lillian is the central character of the novel and runs a successful restaurant and cooking school. This comes as no surprise as she has had an intimate relationship with food from a very young age and she seems to intuitively know what food experience each person needs. We are introduced to the eight students who have found themselves enrolled in Lillian’s monthly cooking class. Each of the students has a secret need and story that seems to be evoked by the lesson of the month. In many cases, the stories become intertwined much like the mingling of foods in a well-thought out dish. To add further reader interest, the author provides very interesting information about the ingredients of the month as well. I did not want this book to end, even as I enjoyed the ending. ( )

Lillian had an unusual upbringing by a mother so distracted by the death of her husband that she withdrew emotionaly from her daughter. Lillian found comfort in cooking and became the owner of a restaurant and a cooking school. In the cooking school she was clever in figuring out what her students needed from life. ( )

Lillian conducts a cooking school once a week. She has the ability to sense the need of people for specific foods and spices. After the opening chapter about how Lillian became enamored with food preparation, each succeeding chapter follows a critical time in the life of one of the students and how food made a difference in his life. ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R9TWZQRN... ( )

Kearsten says: I *really* enjoyed this, despite it being very short and over too soon. Each of the characters (roughly eight) gets their own chapter, which dips into their lives as memories conjured up by different cooking lessons.

This is romantic and sweet, with a teeny bit of magical realism thrown in, and would be good for those who liked Garden Spells by Addison, Alice Hoffman, or Like Water for Chocolate. ( )

I *really* enjoyed this, despite it being very short and over too soon. Each of the characters (roughly eight) gets their own chapter, which dips into their lives as memories conjured up by different cooking lessons.

THis is romantic and sweet, with a teeny bit of magical realism thrown in, and would be good for those who liked Garden Spells by Addison, or Alice Hoffman, of Like Water for Chocolate. ( )

Lillian, now the owner of a restaurant, knows the magic of food. She discovered it for herself as a child, and now she shares it with her cooking classes, "The School of Essential Ingredients." The Prologue sets of the story like so: "Lillian knew that whatever their reasons for coming, at some moment in the course of the class each one's eyes would widen with joy or tears or resolution -- it always happened. The timing and reason would be different for each, and that's where the fascination lay. No two spices work the same" (3).

The story hinges on description and character, as we follow the course of the class and see each character's "moment" through his or her point of view. The descriptions are sometimes awkward but never boring or cliched. The tastes and smells of the kitchen are lovingly rendered. The characters are unique, and I enjoyed their back stories and internal growth. ( )

I loved this book and how it interwove its characters stories with the food being prepared. If you enjoy food and/or cooking, this is a must-read. ( )

I'm having a hard time describing this book, but trust me, it's worth reading. Each chapter of the book focuses on the life of one of the participants in the cooking class, and as their lessons continue, their lives begin to weave together in unexpected ways. While I find it unlikely that in a room with nine people, everyone is essentially a good, likeable person, I really enjoyed all the characters. I think almost any reader will find someone to relate to in this book.

No matter how good the characters are, they are often more of a backdrop for the true star of the story: the food. Bauermeister's magical writing makes Lillian's polentas, tortillas, and lobster almost better than eating the real thing.

This book had really great pacing. In a story that shifts its central character so often, it can be difficult to maintain a cohesive feel, but this story manages it handily. Each chapter stands alone, and yet really feeds into the next. I don't usually read "foodie fiction," (in fact, I had no idea there was such a genre!) but if it's all like this I could get into it. ( )

It would be difficult to name a book that has brought me so much pure reading pleasure as this first offering by an author who we will be hearing more from; beyond a doubt! This was simply a pleasing, well crafted and enchanting book. The only complaint I have about the book is that it ended far too soon and I would dearly have loved to know more about Lillian, the main character who absolutely fascinated me.
Our main character in this book, Lillian, is a lady who can cook and cook well. She is an expert chief and owner of her own restraint. Each Monday night she closes the eating establishment and gives cooking lessons to small groups of people. This work blends the story of Lillian’s cooking lessons with Lillian’s lessons in life as conveyed through the dishes she helps her students to prepare. Each chapter is a presentation of a new meal and each chapter tells the story of one of the students in the class. Basically the author has given us a series of character sketches mixed with delightful thoughts of food and its preparation. Now this is not a cook book by any means. More attention is paid to the ingredients used in each recipe and how it reacts to the other ingredients to perform a bit of magic, both gastronomical and indeed, with life. Of course the author uses this to hang the premise that people, like a good meal, are actually a part of the whole; each interacting with others to make the perfect dish.

As has been pointed out by a couple of other reviewers, the author is quite liberal with her similes. While some did not seem to care for this, I personally loved it as each pretty well hit the nail on the head. As to character development (what ever that means), I found the author to be an absolute delight in this area. She is able to have you inside her character’s head within a few sentences whereas many authors take pages and pages, if not chapters to do so. In addition to these wonderful little stories about each of the individual inhabiting this work, we have the food! Oh my, if you like food and like cooking DO NOT read this work when you are hungry or have easy access to your kitchen. I was constantly tempted to drop the book and head for the oven and the spice cabinet. Ms. Bauermeister has an uncanny ability to actually describe taste to the extent you physically taste the ingredients she is talking about as you read her words. While on a certain level this book is simple and an easy read, on yet another level it is quite profound. For those that do not appreciate food, cooking and people, this probably is not the best choice of reads. For myself, I enjoyed every word the author wrote. Her syntax is quite out of the ordinary in this day and age which makes be suspicion that he very young, i.e. teens and the like, may not quite appreciate the skill that went into this work. I feel they may find it a bit overly flowery at times, but then when you consider what they are exposed to at this time, this is perfectly understandable.

As far as my personal taste goes, this is one of the better reads I have had in any genre for quite a long time now. It is one that will go on the shelf to be reread at a later date. It is also a work that makes me hope that this author is busy at her word processer as I write this, turning out more of the type of work we find with this wonderful little read.

I do highly recommend this one. It is a fast read and even if you don’t like the book I will guarantee it will make you hungry. As a side light, it certainly has caused me to pay much closer attention to what I am doing while cooking and has caused me to stop, pause and truly think about the ingredients I am using and just what effect they will have on my cooking and perhaps the people I am serving it to.

I do wish I could give this one more than just five stars. ( )

This lovely book spins tales around the centrality of food in our lives, suggesting that heightened awareness about what, how and with whom we eat will translate into a more fulfilling existence, with the recognition of our needs and wants becoming as palpable to us as the aroma, shapes, feel and taste of an artfully prepared meal.

The characters in the this book are students at a cooking school run by Lillian, a woman whose father left when she was age four and whose mother retreated into the more congenial and controllable world of literature. Lillian, largely on her own in life, discovered the magic of cooking.

As an adult, she starts a restaurant, and on Monday evenings, when the restaurant is closed, she runs “The School of Essential Ingredients” for culinary aficionados.

Each chapter tells the story of one of the students in the class; the interconnections among others in the class; and how both the class and the food prepared in it changed the life of each student.

From the beginning, Lillian insists that the students close their eyes and experience the smells and feel of the food. She asks them to slow down and experience and enjoy. She seems to know that, through this sensual exercise, they would reclaim their sensual selves.

Bauermeister’s prose is as exquisite as the meals her protagonist prepares. At the class in which they make white wedding cake, the author describes the tasting:

“The class stood companionably around the wooden counter, trying to navigate forkfuls of cake into their mouths without losing a crumb to the floor. The frosting was a thick buttercream, rich as a satin dress laid against the firm, fragile texture of the cake. With each bite, the cake melted first, then the frosting, one after another, like lovers tumbling into bed.”

The act of cooking, for all the characters, becomes a way to connect with their pasts, with each other, and above all, to express their feelings. You should cook, Lillian tells one of her students, in a way that shows what you want from another person; how you feel about him or her. And you should eat in a way that celebrates that feeling.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the mundane, and in seeing aspects of daily living as a series of chores, that we forget to enjoy living and to enjoy each other. (“We’re all just ingredients,” one character says to the other, “what matters is the grace with which you cook the meal.”) This book helps us remember that life is as much about the little things as the big things, and that sensuality and excitement need not be any more distant from our lives than a walk to the market, or a tentative finger thrust in a bowl of batter. ( )

Respected chef and restaurateur Lillian has spent much of her 30-something years in the kitchen, looking for meaning and satisfaction in evocative, delicious combinations of ingredients. Endeavoring to instill that love and know-how in others, Lillian holds a season of Monday evening cooking classes in her restaurant. Each section of this tasty novel tells the story of a different student, navigating readers through the personal dramas, memories and musings stirred up as the characters handle, slice, chop, blend, smell and taste. Bauermeister has created a captivating world where the pleasures and particulars of sophisticated food come to mean much more than simple epicurean indulgence. ( )

If you love to cook, this is a charming little book. I think it tries to convey the mysticism found in "Like Water for Chocolate" or "Chocolat," but it fails on that front. The subtlety in "School" is more of the "hit you over the head with an anvil" type.

Even so, the descriptions of the cooking process and the food itself are tantalizing and delectable (don't read when you're hungry!). The cast of characters are treated at a more superficial level than some books, which works here since food is really the main character. Plus, it's nice to read a light, pleasant book without a constant sense of foreboding that something awful is about to happen.

I would probably not recommend the book to someone who isn't passionate about either cooking or eating. It's not a masterpiece, but a good little "comfort book," especially on a cold, rainy day. ( )

In search of more food-lit, I chose this book because it was recommended by Sarah Addison Allen and it did not disappoint. Although it's not as warm and enveloping as Allen's books, it is lush and rich in food and detail. This is not a fast read in that if read too quickly the subtle nuances will be missed and the prose bludgeoned. And her prose are scrumptious and poetic in details and description.

Erica Bauermeister has selected a daring format for her novel that could have been a huge disaster if not well executed. Each chapter deals with a separate individual in the cooking class and how food and the class changes their life

READ MORE: http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/... ( )

In the School of Essential Ingredients your senses will feast on the delights of simple foods and the beauty of something as lovely as a tomato. I thought the author did a great job of pulling you into the lives of the students in Lillian's cooking class. At times I felt it was a bit forced to equate the food to the individual's inner most situation. I found it a bit unbelievable that so many people were empathetic to each other while working together in a cooking class. Still parts of it were really beautiful. ( )

The beauty of this book snuck up on me. At first I found it slow and predictable, but as I read I began to find myself reading slower and savoring the words. This author writes so beautifully. Yes, she awakens your senses but she also invites you to pay attention...to life around you, to what you touch, to scents, to sights. The basic story is about a restaurant owner, Lillian, who offers cooking lessons on the Monday evenings when her restaurant is closed. Chapters focus on the 8 diverse students, who they were entering the class and how the class changes their lives. The story lines of the students are familiar and develop predictably but what is so engaging is her prose as she conveys their stories. I love to cook and I anticipated recipes for the dishes the class prepares. But there are no recipes. The students learn to "pay attention" to the ingredients as they create their dishes. One chapter that captured my attention so much was about Isabelle, an elderly woman who is presented as the stereotype of a woman who is losing touch with life as her life approaches its end. She is hesitant. She is declining. As the chapter progresses, you are introduced to the richness of her...her history, her life and she is transformed. This book invites transformation, from the most essential ingredients in your food to the most essential ingredients in your life. ( )

Lillian has discovered that the art of preparing fine foods can heal many of the soul's wounds. Personal experience tells her so. As students filter into the cooking school that she holds in her restaurant every Monday night, she begins to teach them the secrets of culinary excellence, tailoring the meals to each particular person's unspoken need. As raw ingredients are transformed into luscious feasts, each person in the class is also changed. From the frazzled housewife to the couple with a stormy past, each person begins to realize that the lessons taught in Lillian's kitchen have far greater reach than the table. Carrying the secrets of the kitchen back into their own lives, the students start to experience greater understanding and healing in their own lives and begin to see the class as a refuge, where the compassion of one chef and the support of each other coalesce in unexpected and curative ways.

As a lover of food literature, I have to say this book was divine. I found the food descriptions to be wonderfully luscious and intriguing, and the human element of the story was great as well. The chapters, which focused in turn on each of the students, were crafted very compellingly because they seemed to be written in various styles. They were not so different as to be jarring, but the writing of each subject was done in a unique and singular way. I took this as a great sign of the author's versatility. She was able to make each character's chapter their own by making small changes in the writing technique.

I also loved the depth of emotion in this story. The author showed great empathy and consideration for her characters and was able to enrich the story with great emotional control. I loved the tenderness and humility of her characters. These were thoughtful and deep people who were able to express intrinsic emotions in proportion tho their circumstances. The emotional scenes in this book were written with great acuity and depth, and ranged from a light playfulness to a profound grief. I think the author used each blank canvas of character in magnetic and engaging ways that added substantial dimension to the book. Her characters weren't stereotypical knock-offs, they seemed like authentic and genuine people, like people you know, people you love. This book could have easily been overblown with drama, but the author was able to form her narrative and characters with a wonderful humility and temperance.

I found Lillian's character to be a marvel. She was consistently loving and calm towards all her students, showing by example the healing and restorative nature of life through food. I found Lillian to be a wonderfully frank and disarming person. Whenever she was on the page I knew that something great was about to be uncovered. I loved the way she enabled her students to make the most of their lessons, and their lives, both praising and teaching at the same time. She was a wonderfully competent character, both believable and charming. The story was extremely moving as well. It was both perceptive and profound, especially the chapters involving Tom, the man hiding a secret heartbreak. Although I loved Lillian, I think it was Tom and his story that moved me the most. I cried while reading Tom's story, sharing his anguish and despair with a heavy heart.

And have I mentioned the food? The food aspects of the story were fascinating and delectable. Many times throughout this book I read and reread the passages relating to the food. Her descriptions of the smells and look of the foods being prepared were like poetry, lyrical and passionate in a way I didn't expect, yet fully appreciated. I thought it was an exceptional additional benefit that almost all the food sections were written in the form of instructions, not recipes per se, but in a way that melded the story with bits of guidance that would make it easy for the reader to put together any of the featured dishes in the book.

This book was a delight on multiple levels. It was a combination of the tenacity of the human spirit and an ambrosial documentary of fine cuisine. I would have gladly read another hundred pages of this novel, had it only been written! This is not to say that the story ended unsatisfactorily, because it certainly did not. I just wanted more of this magnificent and savory tale. I thought the author did a wonderful job in both the idea and the execution. It was a quiet and uplifting tale full of scrumptious spreads. I would like to read this one again, just for the food this time. Highly recommended for foodies and those who are looking for a rich and satisfying novel. ( )