Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel: A Cookbook

by Alon Shaya

An exciting debut cookbook that confirms the arrival of a new guru chef . . . A moving, deeply personal journey of survival and discovery that tells of the evolution of a cuisine and of the transformative power and magic of food and cooking. From the two-time James Beard Award-winning chef whose celebrated New Orleans restaurants have been hailed as the country's most innovative and best by Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Saveur, GQ, and Esquire."Alon's journey is as gripping and as seductive as his cooking . . . Lovely stories, terrific food." --Yotam Ottolenghi, author of A Cookbook"Breathtaking. Bravo." --Joan Nathan, author of King Solomon's TableAlon Shaya's is no ordinary cookbook. It is a memoir of a culinary sensibility that begins in Israel and wends its way from the U.S.A. (Philadelphia) to Italy (Milan and Bergamo), back to Israel (Jerusalem) and comes together in the American South, in the heart of New Orleans. It's a book that tells of how food saved the author's life and how, through a circuitous path of (cooking) twists and (life-affirming) turns the author's celebrated cuisine--food of his native Israel with a creole New Orleans kick came to be, along with his award-winning New Orleans Shaya, Domenica, and Pizza Domenica, ranked by Esquire, Bon Appétit, and others as the best new restaurants in the United States.     These are stories of place, of people, and of the food that connects them, a memoir of one man's culinary sensibility, with food as the continuum throughout his journey--guiding his personal and professional decisions, punctuating every memory, choice, every turning point in his life. Interspersed with glorious full-color photographs and illustrations that follow the course of all the flavors Shaya has tried, places he's traveled, things he's experienced, lessons he's learned--more than one hundred recipes--from Roasted Chicken with Harissa to Speckled Trout with Tahini and Pine Nuts; Crab Cakes with Preserved Lemon Aioli; Roasted Cast-Iron Ribeye; Marinated Soft Cheese with Herbs and Spices; Buttermilk Biscuits; and Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Whipped Feta.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Jewish, Culinary, Memoir

781 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2018

Reviews

[Jessica Ruff]

Beautiful cookbook and memoir. This is one of the best cookbooks I’ve read (and I have a sizable collection of them!). Having been to Domenica and Shaya in New Orleans, I have experienced Alon Shaya’s amazing food and restaurants. Reading this cookbook was such a treat and the few recipes I’ve tried so far have been superb. I can’t wait to work my way through more of the recipes in the book.

[RL]

People will be disappointed if they are looking for a straight cookbook. This is an emotional, humbling, heartfelt, and funny account of Alon Shaya’s path to becoming a renowned chef and owning his three New Orleans restaurants. I had a hard time putting this book down (except it’s really heavy) and was constantly making notes of the recipes. There are a wealth of delicious ideas in here for everybody – the vegetarian dishes look magnificent. I don’t typically rate a cookbook unless I’ve made a number of the recipes within, but this book was a fantastically written account of a troubled youth in less than ideal circumstances who found his way through cooking and working in restaurants. The recipes are delicious punctuation marks.

[Angel Schur]

I had a hard time putting this down!

I am so happy that I bought this cookbook. As other reviewers have posted, this is not a typical style of cookbook. It is so much more. Alon Shaya takes you on a wonderful journey, sharing his experiences, how they helped to shape him and his food, and how they led him to where he is today. Beautiful photos and seamless transitions into each phase of his life and career. Poignant, funny and just plain delicious! I consumed every single word. I have already used several recipes and will continue to explore. This book is still on my desk - I don't know when it will end up on the shelf!

[Shelby]

Half memoir, half cookbook. Enjoyed the unique storytelling in this: personal memories string together an eclectic collection of recipes, cultures, and culinary styles. A nice spin on Israeli, Hungarian, Italian, and New Orleans/Southern foods and techniques.

[Pixie]

This book not only has Israeli food, but also Italian and New Orleans (Orleansian??). The author tells his life story through his professional cooking journey. Lots of recipes I'd like to try.

[Carrie Honaker]

The story woven through here is so beautiful. Shaya’s journey told alongside stunning photography and family recipes makes this a cookbook memoir I will keep coming back to.

[Mary]

Casual cookbook includes riffs on Jewish dishes, blueberry rugelach and Jerusalem artichokes fave bean Shakshouka for example, and southern dishes, buttermilk biscuits and okra (though much less southern). It also includes butter with marijuana recipe. And Italian influenced Jewish dishes.
But this is not a middle eastern and/or southern cookbook but more an exploration of the chef’s favorite dishes as he grew up, trained, staged and ran his own kitchens (both Italian and Israeli in New Orleans). Recipes include bright pictures, clear directions and narratives about the author with each recipe. The narratives are lively and tend to include the chef getting into some kind of trouble.
And there are also lots of personalized dishes that don’t adhere to a particular ethnic background like salami and butter sandwiches and linguine with clams. Most recipes are not complicated or fussy though occasional recipes have complex ingredients. Definitely will purchase this one!

[Lisa]

I was excited to get this because of all of the great reviews. This is NOT your typical cookbook. There are like five pictures in this book and almost all of the recipes are very involved. By saying that I mean that almost all of the recipes have a whole list of ingredients and pages of directions. That is not my type of cookbook. There was nothing in this book that I wanted to make nor was there much that I would want to eat. Much of this type of food is unfamiliar to me so it would have helped to have a picture to maybe explain what it was supposed to be.

[Mary]

This is one of the most interesting, usable, beautiful cooking memoir with recipes that I've ever had the privilege to read and now own! It's a glorious amalgamation of Israeli, Hungarian, Italian, New Orleans food/ingredients, spun together with stories of Alon's life experiences.
I have had this one on my "interlibrary loan" list for months.
Now it's on my shelf, in my lap, on my counter, in texts to my friends...
GLORY!

[Rita]

Enjoyed this cookbook/biography. Interesting unique recipes, an interesting personal journey and another example of how tough life as a chef or person in the restaurant industry is. Beautiful pictures and clear directions, even if very few are things I would actually make or eat. Definitely not kosher but interesting!

[Sandy]

Is it a journal with recipes or recipes with stories. Who knows, who cares. It's a great books.l

[Natalie]

I know that not all Israelis are Jewish and even the ones that are might not keep kosher.
I’m half way through this book and feel that I have been duped! There are so many recipes for shellfish, pork and meat with dairy that I will be returning it.
Had the subtitle of the book been: a journey back to a multicultural Israel or non-religious Israel or non-kosher Israel I wouldn’t feel so betrayed.
As it stands, this book is worthless to me.

On a more objective note, the layout is annoying. Recipes are very wordy and are spread out over three or more pages. Some of the photos are nice and with the corresponding recipe. Not all.

I like a photo with a recipe. It makes it so much easier to select what I want to prepare.

Two stars are for the photos, otherwise, I wouldn’t have given that many.

[Book Grocer]

Purchase Shaya here for just $15!

Alon Shaya is on track to becoming the new Ottolenghi, so grab his book before he becomes huge. Full of delicious recipes and wonderful stories, you will be an expert in Israeli cooking in no time.

Elisa - The Book Grocer

[Perri Volz]

Great story about Alon Shaya’s life. He was living and working as a chef in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. So of course that part of his life was very interesting for me along with his love story and his passion for food, going back to his roots! There are recipes after each part of his story that look incredible! I borrowed the book from a friend but plan on buying it to make some of the recipes!

[Laura Purdy]

Okay, so I haven't cooked from it yet... but as a memoir? I loved it! The recipe choices? Also have me interested. I read this cookbook cover to cover, making a list of ingredients that we don't have to add as pantry staples. I will hopefully update this review once I've actually cooked out of it, but so far already just as a story I'm thrilled.

[Laura]

More of an autobiography than a cookbook. The man has had quite a life, living most of it as a stranger in a strange land. The recipes are loving, involved, and not vegetarian friendly. Many of the really interesting vegetarian recipes require a gas stove. Glad I checked it out from the library.

[Brianna]

This book was great, beautiful photos and amazing looking recipes. I found it funny that it randomly had one recipe that uses marijuana butter (recipe included as well) even though that was not the focus of the book at all. The times, they are changing. I would check this one out again.

[R.J. Gilmour]

Shaya's cookbook is beautifully designed. Not only does it include some wonderful recipes reflecting his journey from the U.S. to Israel the book also includes a narrative of his journey across the globe and how that influenced his cooking.

[Joanna]

Love this book. Full of delicious looking recipes but also an interesting memoir detailing the author’s culinary journey. The recipes are an eclectic mix that showcase Alon Shaya’s heritage and the experiences that led him to embrace where he comes from. Beautiful story.

[Liquidlasagna]

Part cookbook, part memoir, Alon Shaya writes of identity, memory, and the power that food holds in our lives. This is a beautiful cookbook, rich with emotion and recipes filled with spices and herbs and all of the vegetables I am drawn toward.
Alice Waters

[Amy]

I enjoyed the memoir sections of this high-gloss, beautifully illustrated, hybrid cookbook. But many of the recipes are not easy to make (esp. if you're not an experienced baker or you don't have a fully-equipped kitchen). My friends & I loved the poppy seed 🍌 🍞 banana bread with baharat spices.

[Chelsea]

Beautiful layout. Loved the stories. The ingredients were not easily found or used in my area of the US. Eating marijuana was a new one for me....

[Phyllis Bismanovsky]

The crazy journeys these chefs take. Well told story with great recipes. Hope to get to his restaurant in New Orleans some day.

[Wb]

Enjoyable reading about his journey to being the chef he is today. Glad he's back on his own after the recent setbacks.

[Maureen]

I love cookbooks with lots of stories as well as recipes. I know I won't have time to finish this before it's due back at the library but I'm really enjoying it.

[Linda]

Enticing recipes with Middle Eastern overtones.

[christine.]

A fascinating memoir woven through with delicious recipes.

[Dray]

Love the stories, the steps and missteps, the mentorship and the recipies. An interersting fusion of southern and i=Isreali cooking, staying true to both origins. Worth reading.

[Tarita Henry]

Wonderful recipes plus memoir.

[Beka]

Chef-y, but nice.