Inside the California Food Revolution: Thirty Years That Changed Our Culinary Consciousness (Volume 44)

California Studies in Food and Culture #44

by Joyce Goldstein, Dore Brown (Contributor)

In this authoritative and immensely readable insider’s account, celebrated cookbook author and former chef Joyce Goldstein traces the development of California cuisine from its formative years in the 1970s to 2000, when farm-to-table, foraging, and fusion cooking had become part of the national vocabulary. Interviews with almost two hundred chefs, purveyors, artisans, winemakers, and food writers bring to life an approach to cooking grounded in passion, bold innovation, and a dedication to “flavor first.” Goldstein explains how the counterculture movement in the West gave rise to a restaurant culture characterized by open kitchens, women in leadership positions, and a surprising number of chefs and artisanal food producers who lacked formal training. The new cuisine challenged the conventional kitchen hierarchy and French dominance in fine dining, leading to a more egalitarian and informal food scene.

In weaving Goldstein’s views on California food culture with profiles of those who played a part in its development—from Alice Waters to Bill Niman to Wolfgang Puck—Inside the California Food Revolution demonstrates that, while fresh produce and locally sourced ingredients are iconic in California, what transforms these elements into a unique cuisine is a distinctly Western culture of openness, creativity, and collaboration. Engagingly written and full of captivating anecdotes, this book shows how the inspirations that emerged in California went on to transform the experience of eating throughout the United States and the world.

Read and excerpt

Inside the California Food Years That Changed Our Culinary Consciousness by University of California Press

Praise for Inside the California Food Revolution:
"Joyce Goldstein is the foremost expert on the watershed moment in American cooking when little-known ingredients began to shine and chefs came out of the kitchen. The California revolution created the foundation for the food personalities and flavors that we see globally today. This book tells the story better than any other." –Mario Batali, chef and author of Molto Italiano

“Bravo! Joyce Goldstein’s authoritative and eminently entertaining work retires the field on all books attempting to define the California food movement that forever changed the course of how we eat in America. It’s a must-read for any cook, restaurateur, journalist, and restaurant-lover who is genuinely curious about how and where it all started.” –Danny Meyer, chef and author of Setting the The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

“Who is better suited than Joyce Goldstein to curate and catalogue the influence that California has had on how we eat and dine today? This engrossing book is a satisfying and engaging read." –David Kinch, chef and author of An Edible Reflection

“A smart and succinct summary of those key decades in California that changed the way many Americans eat and view food. I'm so glad that Joyce Goldstein has put this special history together; she's the one to have done it.” –Deborah Madison, founding chef at Greens restaurant and author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

“Joyce Goldstein shows, in compelling, illuminating detail, that what we call California cuisine is simply California itself the land, the climate, a way of thinking and a way of living made manifest on a plate. Her research is thorough, her ear impeccable, and her storytelling enthralling. This is a glorious and – dare one say it – delicious book.” —Gerald Asher, former wine editor of Gourmet, and author of A Vineyard in my Glass and A Carafe of Red

“This book is a must read for anyone who cares about food and its ability to influence and inspire community building and change. A new generation now has a deeper understanding of how to take the movement even further, to push the limits of flavor, ...

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food and Drink

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[bookinglibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

While initially daunted by the small and dense-looking text, I fortunately started reading and was quickly drawn into the enthrallingly detailed story of the key decades of California food culture (1970-2000.) Goldstein provides wonderful interviews and reflections from a variety of pioneer cooks, restauranteurs, farmers and food producers who transformed how we eat in America. It is also refreshing to have this important story told from the the perspective of Californians, rather than the rather snarky tone that eastcoasters seem to use when discussing Californian food.

[Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joyce Goldstein is one of my favorite food people but that doesn't mean I'm biased. This was very illuminati8ng book on how California changed the food culture in The States and helped define what American cuisine is. From restaurant design to buying local CA started it all even if New York adopted out ideas after and tries to claim they did it first. Much less of a gossip column tell all than "The United States of Arugula", which really didn't explore the how's and why's of American food culture. A great book for any foodie interested in how we got to the state of restaurants, wineries, and artisan farmers we have today.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Know your (recent) food history! As a native Californian and someone who likes to eat and cook seasonally, I found this book very interesting and inspiring. Should I quit my job and start my small-batch artisanal ice cream hustle? (JK)

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but definitely out of my element because although I’m a native Californian, and consider myself a foodie, the food that the author talks about is was out of my price bracket.

[Eliza · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fascinating topic, and if you live in CA or like food, you might enjoy it okay. But the writhing is plodding and uninspired, to say the least. Skip it.