Sacramental Magic In A Small-town Cafe: Recipes And Stories From Brother Juniper's Cafe

by Peter Reinhart

A collection of recipes for salads, pastas, and regional specialties accompanies the story of a small cafe in a community united by a desire to do good through fine cooking. By the author of Brother Juniper's Bread Book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Memoir, Cookbooks, Cooking

243 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 1994

About the author

Peter Reinhart is a master baker, educator, and award-winning author, renowned for his deep exploration of bread and pizza. His books, including The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza, and Bread Revolution, have redefined the way people think about baking. With multiple James Beard Awards under his belt, he is considered one of the most influential voices in the world of bread and artisan baking.
A passionate teacher, Peter serves as a Chef on Assignment at Johnson & Wales University, where he shares his expertise with aspiring bakers. He has also worked as a consultant for major food brands, helped develop innovative baking techniques, and even delivered a TED Talk on the transformative power of bread.
His lifelong quest for the perfect pizza led him on a journey across the U.S. and Italy, documented in American Pie, and continues through Pizza Quest, a blog where he explores the art and craft of pizza-making.
Peter’s work goes beyond recipes—he delves into the history, science, and philosophy of baking, believing that bread is not just food but a metaphor for transformation and discovery. Whether you’re a home baker, a professional, or just someone who loves a good loaf, his books offer inspiration, technique, and a deep appreciation for the magic of fermentation.

Reviews

[Melissa]

Very enjoyable comfort read! It did what every cookbook/food memoir should do: make me want to stay home for a week and cook and bake.

[Benjamin Futterman]

Definitely a pleasant comfort read. I enjoyed the mystical and philosophical take on cooking and sharing food. The recipes themselves are a bit outdated; such as kimchi with cayenne pepper but no fish sauce or gochugaru. All things considered, a nice book!

[Mary Beth]

Excerpts from the author make you feel at peace and connected to the subjects he wrote about. Each section has recipes he developed.

[Beth]

Loads of recipes to try from this book. There is a wonderful index of all of them in the back of the book.

[Glynn]

The author makes me go to the kitchen after each chapter. Or during.

Caesar Salad! Read about it and you will have to have one.

This is probably the best book I've read about food as nourishment (as opposed to a thing to fear....).

[Natashya KitchenPuppies]

A good, more personal volume from Peter. Nice to get to know him better. The book has some recipes too -pastas, salads, sauces, breads, muffins.
He is by nature spiritual, but universal enough not to make anyone uncomfortable.

[Heidi]

Yummy, healthy, easy to make recipes. There is a section of soup recipes in this book called 'Penicillin Soups', this is my first line of defence during cold/flu season.

[Jan]

It is a sweet book but nothing special in the recipes. I didn't find any recipes I wanted to try.

[Morgan Weber]

A sweet, personal spiritual journey through food, from the author of Brother Juniper's Bread Book. The bread recipes in this make me wish I could still eat gluten.

[Bridgette Guerzon Mills]

Love this book. Be sure to make the cole slaw recipe- so good!

[Jeff Youngstrom]

My review from April 26, 1997

[K T]

This is a story of a vision for ministry, which includes some very good recipes. A good read, any time.

[Lora]

At the time I noted that it was more of a cookbook than I had expected, but it had some interesting anecdotes.

[Stace]

One of my all-time fave books on food!