Lunch at the Shop: The Art and Practice of the Midday Meal

by Peter Miller, Melissa Hamilton (Photographer), Christopher Hirsheimer (Photographer)

In our current bustle, lunch has been outsourced to stand-up counters, reduced to take-out platters, wrapped and rolled and packaged. But it doesn’t need to be so. Peter Miller makes lunch every day at his bookshop in Seattle. It may be only a salad or a sandwich, but he and his team put it together each day without a formal kitchen. It is a moment set aside, away from the computer and the clock.

Lunch at the Shop is a call to lunch. On the most basic level, the book is a primer for making lunch for a few people at work, including more than 50 tried-and-tested, deliciously simple recipes. However, the essence of the book is about adopting a lifestyle that allows food to be savored every day, in a way that is easy, fresh, healthy, and a pleasure.

“You may not know it yet, but you are hungry for what is bound and written on these pages. As he did for me, Peter Miller will help fill you up. I’m sure of it.” —Matthew Dillon, James Beard Award–winning chef of Sitka & Spruce, The Corson Building, and Bar Sajor

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food and Drink

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2014

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don't include cookbooks in my goodreads life, but I just love this one so much I have to share. This cookbook is designed to help you make lunch an exciting part of your work day while incorporating foods that you have around, perhaps from dinner the night before, or that require some cooking at home.

I've only made two recipes from it so far, but both have been outstanding. Miller encourages you to take time to appreciate lunch and to take a little time to finish putting together the meal at work so that you can enjoy all of lunch time appropriately. If you're tired of the same sandwiches and salads for lunch, I definitely recommend this cookbook for a better lunchtime experience.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard about a book written by a professionally trained chef who owns and operates a bookstore across the street from the Pike Place Market where he and his staff make lunch for one another every day. So what's not to like? I was not disappointed. Miller is a sort of guru of mindful eating. His book is full of poetic phrases, flights of inspiration and meditations upon the subject of lunch. He promotes intentionality in the planning, the preparing, the sharing and the eating of lunch. Without railing, he is not much impressed with the manufactured lunches available downtown in plastic bubble boxes with sauces in little foil packets that leak if you keep them in your purse. He writes "We always have some combination of beans or rice, pasta or lentils on hand. ... They are the proud and historic opposite of fast food.” From Miller's perspective, fresh is always better. He does not, however, eschew leftovers. Part of the cleverness of the text is his inspiration of make a little extra of something for supper so as to have some left over to take to work the next day to make into an interesting lunch. There are a few imperfections to this emerald. One is that it is redundant; I understood his points the first time he made the and didn't need to be reminded of them several times subsequently. Another is that the work is a bit snobby; there are not many people who can take as much time as he does for lunch. And his suggestion that you have one of your friends pick up a tin of tuna on their next trip to Italy, well, you know. There are recipes, about fifty of them. The apple, cheese, arugula and almond butter sandwich looks interesting. His white bean, garlic and sausage soup appears to be a cure for winter. The chanterelles, onions, potatoes and eggs is simple but sounds heavenly. Another is the meatball sandwich, which proves he's not a total snob. I'm happy to have read this book but nobody's culinary bookshelf is deficient for lack of it.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee for the foodie set. I loved many of the concepts and recipes and great that their store is in Seattle. However when they talk about ordering take out and then changing it to something else is where I get a bit skeptical. How much time do these people have for lunch at work?

[Nivedita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after it was recommended a few weeks ago in Marian Bull's Substack newsletter Mess Hall (https://marianbull.substack.com/p/ask...).
I normally don't just sit down and read cookbooks but I liked reading this one a lot! As someone who has been regularly so busy during the day that I never eat lunch, to the point that I stopped packing lunch for work months ago, reading this was like reading science fiction.
I have never thought of lunch the way its written about in this book: "not a full orchestra ... [but] a half-hour rehearsal" but at the same time an important, if "narrow[,] strip between stretches of work." It is important to pay attention to the food that you're eating, and where it comes from, and the quality of it, and how it makes you feel. It's important to take a short break in the middle of the workday and not think about work. It's important to look after yourself and care about the people around you, and making and eating a lunch with people you care about can be a way of doing that.

[Chain Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written by the fussy proprietor of a design bookshop across the street from the Pike Place Market in Seattle, about the ritual that he and his staff have developed of taking time to make a shared lunch for the group and eat it. On the one hand, I feel mildly annoyed, because geez, if I owned a design book shop across from the Pike Place Market, rather than working at part time office gigs in which I am frantically busy while present, then have to rush home and gulp lunch while the dog stares at my accusingly while communicating to me telepathically that IT IS TIME TO GO FOR A WALK, anyway, if I were in his shoes I think I could assemble a beautiful gourmet lunch too. On the other hand, on the days that I work at home, this is something that I can aspire to, and I do feel inspired to do so by the beautiful photos and text. Enjoyed it, with a slight uncontrollable eye roll.

[Amy A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book seems to polarize people. It charmed me. One of the low star reviewers said it beautifully, but why she didn’t like it is exactly why I’m smitten, “it’s just a love letter to good ingredients put together simply”. Exactly!

His voice is sophisticated and friendly, accessible, calm and loving. Maybe I do have a bit of a crush on the whole package: man and vision, art and architecture, books and paper, and a caring for fresh food, cooking, and sharing a meal. His friends, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton (I have and love their “SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Cookbook” and am just learning (how can this be?!) of Canal House) collaborated and photographed and they are exceptionally talented.

Notice the seasons. Get some beans and lentils cooked. Sit down and enjoy. Be inspired by this lovely little book.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book about an overlooked aspect of food. The book is entirely honest and reflects the way many people eat, they love food, they love eating with others but they have to make do with what they have on hand, limited space, limited equipment and limited time.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

well it's got a fried chicken sandwich

so maybe this is the way to figure out how to make one much better than a fast food joint!

---

one person said they had the best sandwich in the world in here, and naturally they never said what it was

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the idea of it more than I liked the book but still a solid read.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was stressful

[Lisa Citron · Rating 3 out of 5]

a philosophy of lunch + recipes

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I firmly believe that the world does not need more cookbooks--especially the sort published nowadays, with more food porn photography than text, and impractical spines that won't stay open on the kitchen counter--but I enjoyed "Lunch at the Shop" for the author's inspiring approach to lunchtime. The recipes are also nice, but they're really more of an afterthought, in my opinion; at the book's heart is a call to treat lunch more reverently as a true respite from the workday. This means giving more care and thought to lunchtime food, closing the laptop and eating away from the desk, setting a table, and eating with others. Peter Miller, who owns a bookstore in Seattle, has been lunching this way with his staff for years. These days, when our brains are constantly tethered to our phones, email, and to-do lists, Miller urges his readers to take lunchtime seriously as a time not only to feed and nourish the body, but also to rest the mind. I feel lucky that Nick and I have flexible work schedules that allow us to eat lunch together at home much of the week, but Miller reminds us that anyone can eat a proper lunch away from the computer if they make the commitment to do so. I also love his call not only to eat well during lunch, but also to consume all leftovers by the week's end: "When the Friday lunch is over, you should have a good handful of clean storage containers awaiting new assignments, some space in the refrigerator, and some pleasure in that the meals were a success."

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was once a time where I had a job I didn't love. I took to bringing my lunch each day in a toy picnic basket, along with a cloth napkin, real silver and all. I suppose what I was longing for, at that cold industrial desk, was a bit of the civility that Peter Miller talks about in his book Lunch at the Shop.

The meals were nothing extra-ordinary. Lots of lentils and rice and avacado. Obvious easy choices for assembling in a back room with limited kitchen space or utensils.

But his writing here shines.

These days, I have the luxury of sitting down at my own dining room table most days and preparing myself lunch on proper plates, though I tend to eat the same thing each day.

But this volume made me want to pay a bit more attention, squeeze a bit more lemon onto everything I make, and appreciate luncheon for what it really is -- that "narrow strip between stretches of work." It also made me want to go back to Seattle, find a good book at Peter Miller Books & Supplies, and to make sure I did all that around 12:30. Then hope they invite me to sit down with them all to lunch.

LATS is to lunch what Dinner: A Love Story is for dinner. Simple, doable, inspiring.

[Nick Klagge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book-about-food that I read after Elise checked it out from the library. Elise and I are very lucky that we get to make and at lunch together at home almost every day now, so we're not exactly subjected to the standard rush and pressure around lunch that this book addresses. Nonetheless, I definitely appreciated the attitude of care that the author takes to even small touches. Reading this book even inspired me to try getting some small special foods once in a while (like fig jam) that we might use to complement our standard fare. That's saying a lot!

One observation is that the author's cooking style is quite Euro-centric. That's fine, of course, but since reading the book, Elise and I have talked some about making Asian dishes in the author's style.

[Sara McGuyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part tale, part cook book, Lunch at the Shop is about a book store in Seattle that makes lunch together everyday. This is for the people who like to put their potato chips in a bowl instead of eating them straight from that bag. If you don't like fussing over food, this book will likely seem pretentious or over the top.

But I also think there's more to be learned here. This is a great example of obsessing over the details to create a great experience, and that sort of care and fervor can inspire many other areas of work and life. I wrote more about this book here: http://www.saramcguyer.com/2015/01/th...

[Rukshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book and it definitely reinforced my own ideas about lunch. I probably didn't need to be sold so much on the idea of the midday meal as being sacrosanct as I already really *love* the lunch hour. The book is beautifully written and has so many creative ideas for using ingredients and leftovers creatively, whether you are at work or at home. From reading this book, I view a single lemon and a bunch of herbs differently. I also got multiple ideas on how to transform lentils into something pretty spectacular. Now I only wish I could work at The Shop and share such a nice everyday ritual with my coworkers.

[Jonelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea this book presents - to eat daily lunch in community. Making a fresh meal together and taking the time out of the workday to do so. I hope to convince co-workers to try it eventually.

I found his "voice" to be a bit pretentious at times, in that he seems to demand that you think about food exactly as he does (very particularly.) However the language he used to bring food preparation to life was inventive and colorful and I enjoyed that.

The recipes and food ideas themselves look scrumptious and I hope to make my way through them all!

[Huntleybrinkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a cookbook so its hard to say you read a cookbook...but other than the actual recipes, I did; they all start with a little vignette with some advice mixed in there. It held my interest and the beginning was what obviously drew me in. I think its a worthwhile purchase for someone who works in an office who has some like-minded cohorts who want to do more than sack lunch it everyday.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've passed this shop countless times; perhaps my knowledge of the neighborhood and setting gave me a different perspective. Don't buy this if you want a cookbook, buy it as a reminder of why we gather to eat, why even lunch at work can be special and meaningful with some time, consideration and cooperation. A lovely coffee table book, a lovely hostess gift, and a few of the recipes sound really tasty.

[Christie Kliewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the most useful cookbooks i've ever read. it gives a great overview of how to 1) create a culture of lunch creation at your place of employment, and 2) how to build an office kitchen to allow you flexibility and creativity for healthful and satisfying meals with limited time. I really stepped up my lunch game after reading this and I plan on purchasing a copy of this to add to my cookbook collection.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only I had the time, money, and mental space to cook myself lunches like this bookstore crew does. Wow - who wouldn't want to eat amazing cheese with really good bread for lunch several days a week?

That being said, it did inspire me to be a bit more mindful in how I put together our meals.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't typically add cookbooks to my list, but this is 50% manifesto/memoir. It makes me wish I worked at a quaint little shop with a makeshift kitchen. Instead I'll continue to make-do with my drawer of rescued Cholula and saved red pepper packets from pizza days.

[Vuk Trifkovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has inspired me to start weekly lunch at a shop that I work at. Wonderful turn of phrase, great attitude and simple enough recipes. I only wish he thew in a few more deserts for those of us with a sweet tooth.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A completely charming cookbook! It reads like a delightful companion to Tamar Adler's "An Everlasting Meal." The recipes are simple but gave me a new found appreciate for my humble desk lunch. The lentils folded into yogurt with basil and walnuts is sure to become a staple in my kitchen.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was only cooking for me and not for my family, I'd really enjoy this book.

[Jonathan Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit self indulgent on the author's part. An interesting read in parts but also a tad pretentious.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an entire book about lunch you can make for a group at your office. What's not to like?

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a completely disappointing book. It was highly recommended to me, but I can't figure out why. It's just a love letter to good ingredients put together simply.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

a generous and gracious style

[Toby Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cookbook that shines with book its writing and recipes. These recipes seem very accessible and cover a bit of a variety.