Sally Schmitt (1932–2022)
Author of Six California Kitchens: A Collection of Recipes, Stories, and Cooking Lessons from a Pioneer of California Cuisine
Works by Sally Schmitt
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Kelsoe, Sarah Elizabeth (birth)
- Birthdate
- 1932-02-28
- Date of death
- 2022-03-05
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Roseville, California, USA
- Place of death
- Philo, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Yountville, California, USA
Mendocino coast, California, USA - Education
- University of California, Davis
University of California, Berkeley (BS) - Occupations
- Restaurateur
Chef - Organizations
- The French Laundry (founder)
Members
Reviews
Really lovely memoir -- I wasn't expecting the cookbook, but the combination is wonderful. It's amazing to get to read about these super famous folks and realize how down to earth and pragmatic they were -- just doing the thing that made the most sense at the time, with an emphasis on making really good food. I was particularly impressed that their family remains so close together -- both in proximity and affection. If that's not indicative of a life full of joy, I don't know what is. Inspiring.
I'm lucky enough to have had our cousin's son and wife cook at the French Laundry. This book was the perfect addition to their stories and anecdotes. I found it to be just wonderful. The writing, the recipes, the history and background, everything. Hoping I can get them to make me a couple of the recipes! And that someday I might be lucky enough to dine there myself. Excellent book!
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
Sally Schmitt is a legend in California cuisine and the farm-to-table movement. She's most famous as one of the founders and as chef at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, but as this memoir/cookbook relates through friendly banter and asides, this is only one of six kitchens that has shaped her life. As a storytelling format, it is unique and logical. She begins with her childhood and her mother's kitchen, and moves onward from there, explaining what she learned and what the general vibe of life was at the time, with everything elaborated upon with photographs, drawings, and recipes that will make the mouth water.
The recipes are formatted in a unique style that fits the conversational tone of the whole book: there's no ingredient block up front, but the ingredients are listed in the own column alongside the point in the recipe directions when they are used. I wish more cookbooks would take on this style and save cooks from having to flip pages between ingredients and instructions! The food itself is the epitome of Napa Valley cuisine, relying on lots of fresh ingredients and high quality meats such as lamb. Cost and availability will likely curtail many readers from giving the recipes a try. However, this book is so much more than its recipes. It's a refreshing, gentle memoir, an ambling journey through someone's life via their kitchen and foods.… (more)
Sally Schmitt is a legend in California cuisine and the farm-to-table movement. She's most famous as one of the founders and as chef at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, but as this memoir/cookbook relates through friendly banter and asides, this is only one of six kitchens that has shaped her life. As a storytelling format, it is unique and logical. She begins with her childhood and her mother's kitchen, and moves onward from there, explaining what she learned and what the general vibe of life was at the time, with everything elaborated upon with photographs, drawings, and recipes that will make the mouth water.
The recipes are formatted in a unique style that fits the conversational tone of the whole book: there's no ingredient block up front, but the ingredients are listed in the own column alongside the point in the recipe directions when they are used. I wish more cookbooks would take on this style and save cooks from having to flip pages between ingredients and instructions! The food itself is the epitome of Napa Valley cuisine, relying on lots of fresh ingredients and high quality meats such as lamb. Cost and availability will likely curtail many readers from giving the recipes a try. However, this book is so much more than its recipes. It's a refreshing, gentle memoir, an ambling journey through someone's life via their kitchen and foods.… (more)
Awards
Statistics
- Works
- 1
- Members
- 47
- Popularity
- #330,643
- Rating
- 4.4
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 2
As much a memoir as a recipe book, this book describes the history of a family as well as a cooking movement. Sally Schmitt is best known as a pioneering chef and the founder of the French Laundry, a legendary Northern California restaurant which is now owned and operated by Thomas Keller, who owes it all to Sally as he says in the forward, “She is our original cofounder, our original cook and guiding light.”
The “Six Kitchens” of the book’s title refer to the six kitchens that shaped Sally into a self-taught cook who changed the way we eat, beginning with her mother’s kitchen in 1932 and ending with her Elk Cottage. Sadly, Sally passed away in March 2022, just a month before the book was released in April 2022.
In addition to recipes, the book contains a detailed timeline combining both personal and professional highlights, private family photos as well as food shots taken expressly for the book, wonderful commentary from Sally that amplifies many of the recipes, a list of basic must-have ingredients, and a sense of family that permeates throughout. Sally had five children who assisted her professionally during the course of her life, as well as grandchildren, children-in-law, and close friends who became like family. A key element of the book is Sally’s honest and experienced advice that makes reading the book like having Sally at your elbow.
One thing to keep in mind is that these are Sally’s recipes, and they are a chronicle of the time period when she was cooking for the hordes who clamored for distinctive California cuisine. Today many people won’t chose to prepare (or eat) her duck or veal recipes. But there are so many other recipes to inspire you. Overall this is a heartwarming book that captures a life and a treasury of food memories.… (more)