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Six California Kitchens: A Collection of Recipes, Stories, and Cooking Lessons from a Pioneer of California Cuisine
Six California Kitchens is the quintessential California cookbook, with farm-to-table recipes and stories from Sally Schmitt, the pioneering female chef and original founder of the French Laundry.
Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in Yountville in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredients—a novel concept at the time.
In this soon-to-be-classic cookbook, Sally Schmitt takes us through the six kitchens where she learned to cook, honed her skills, and spent her working life. Six California Kitchens weaves her remarkable story with 115 recipes that distill the ethos of Northern California cooking into simple, delicious dishes, plus evocative imagery, historic ephemera, and cooking wisdom.
With gorgeous food and sense-of-place photography, this is a masterful, story-rich cookbook for home and aspiring chefs who cook locally and seasonally, food historians, fans of wine country, and anyone who wants to bring the spirit of Northern California home with them.
Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in Yountville in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredients—a novel concept at the time.
In this soon-to-be-classic cookbook, Sally Schmitt takes us through the six kitchens where she learned to cook, honed her skills, and spent her working life. Six California Kitchens weaves her remarkable story with 115 recipes that distill the ethos of Northern California cooking into simple, delicious dishes, plus evocative imagery, historic ephemera, and cooking wisdom.
With gorgeous food and sense-of-place photography, this is a masterful, story-rich cookbook for home and aspiring chefs who cook locally and seasonally, food historians, fans of wine country, and anyone who wants to bring the spirit of Northern California home with them.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published April 5, 2022
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July 11, 2025
The memoirs I take most seriously are those produced to record a life's work. Whatever the field or fascination may have been, we are here to be told what the author experienced, and the lessons derived from it. This is the most that can be asked for from an autobiography; the sharing of knowledge for the benefit of others. Six California Kitchens stands as such. Meaningful not only from a historical vantage, but from a human one as well.
Sally Schmitt was a chef and most noted in the culinary arena for her pioneering presence in the farm-to-table movement of California cuisine. She was also the driving force behind a restaurant called The French Laundry, well-known in the Napa Valley vintner's circle and also, in a darkly amusing sort of way, as the cafe Governor Gavin Newsom chose to dine at during the pandemic; maskless while the rest of us were idling in lockdown. Of course, the restaurant had been sold by then to esteemed chef Thomas Keller and so, really, this was his problem.
Sally was a Northern California girl whose parents had been raised during The Great Depression. They had very little by way of wealth but were fortunate enough to possess a plot of land they could use for planting and pasturage. There were no restaurants they could afford, and only modest trips to the grocery. They ate what they grew; their kitchen's cooler stocked with preserving jars to see them through the less productive months of winter. For Sally, though, these years seemed abundant:
We raised potatoes, carrots, beans of all kinds, onions, lots of corn in the summertime, parsley, and of course, tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes. There were two old apricot trees on the property, both Royal Blenheim, which to this day I consider the king of all apricots...There was also a black walnut, a guava, a persimmon, and several oak trees surrounding us. Lining our driveway was an abandoned row of muscat grapes...We soon acquired chickens, a pig, and a Guernsey cow...
The first of these six California kitchens belonged to her mother, and this was where she learned lessons that would carry her through every kitchen thereafter. Sally married, bore five children, and tumbled serendipitously into the field of professional cooking. First it was a small burger joint, then a shift to a luncheon cafe where she developed her focus and theory:
I was never into complexity. When I ate something, I wanted to know what I was tasting. So I liked having just one or two flavors that would stand out in a dish. I tried to balance color and texture with the flavor. In the seventies, people were using every combination of herbs imaginable, usually dried, to flavor everything. And then there were those scourges of the kitchen, seasoning salts...
She moved from the cafe to shepherd a concern called The Chutney Kitchen. It was around this time, or shortly thereafter, that she came to be visited by Julia Child and M.K. Fisher. (I mention this because Ms. Schmitt's humility is such that one might never consider the element of a growing reputation.) Napa's winemakers, increasing now in number and prestige, also stopped by frequently and assisted in refining her palate and culinary direction. (Most of what she prepared from this point forward paired wonderfully with wine.) The French Laundry followed, then The Apple Farm - where she began to teach - and, in later years, she illustrates her retirement and the shift to cooking for two.
This memoir is chock-a-block with recipes, and commentary on the development of those recipes, and these dishes take up more than fifty percent of the volume. This could, and probably will, be referred to as a cookbook, but oh how unfortunate it would be to perceive it as such. Sally Schmitt is such a presence in these pages - calm, competent, curious and kind - we are surely with a woman, inside a life, surrounded by the bounty of a kitchen she has filled with her passion - it is impossible, when sitting in the center of it, to mistake this for a manual of any kind. It is the heart of a life's work.
Ms. Schmitt passed away on the cusp of the publication of Six California Kitchens, at the age of ninety. I suspect she would have been genuinely pleased at the way this all turned out.
Sally Schmitt was a chef and most noted in the culinary arena for her pioneering presence in the farm-to-table movement of California cuisine. She was also the driving force behind a restaurant called The French Laundry, well-known in the Napa Valley vintner's circle and also, in a darkly amusing sort of way, as the cafe Governor Gavin Newsom chose to dine at during the pandemic; maskless while the rest of us were idling in lockdown. Of course, the restaurant had been sold by then to esteemed chef Thomas Keller and so, really, this was his problem.
Sally was a Northern California girl whose parents had been raised during The Great Depression. They had very little by way of wealth but were fortunate enough to possess a plot of land they could use for planting and pasturage. There were no restaurants they could afford, and only modest trips to the grocery. They ate what they grew; their kitchen's cooler stocked with preserving jars to see them through the less productive months of winter. For Sally, though, these years seemed abundant:
We raised potatoes, carrots, beans of all kinds, onions, lots of corn in the summertime, parsley, and of course, tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes. There were two old apricot trees on the property, both Royal Blenheim, which to this day I consider the king of all apricots...There was also a black walnut, a guava, a persimmon, and several oak trees surrounding us. Lining our driveway was an abandoned row of muscat grapes...We soon acquired chickens, a pig, and a Guernsey cow...
The first of these six California kitchens belonged to her mother, and this was where she learned lessons that would carry her through every kitchen thereafter. Sally married, bore five children, and tumbled serendipitously into the field of professional cooking. First it was a small burger joint, then a shift to a luncheon cafe where she developed her focus and theory:
I was never into complexity. When I ate something, I wanted to know what I was tasting. So I liked having just one or two flavors that would stand out in a dish. I tried to balance color and texture with the flavor. In the seventies, people were using every combination of herbs imaginable, usually dried, to flavor everything. And then there were those scourges of the kitchen, seasoning salts...
She moved from the cafe to shepherd a concern called The Chutney Kitchen. It was around this time, or shortly thereafter, that she came to be visited by Julia Child and M.K. Fisher. (I mention this because Ms. Schmitt's humility is such that one might never consider the element of a growing reputation.) Napa's winemakers, increasing now in number and prestige, also stopped by frequently and assisted in refining her palate and culinary direction. (Most of what she prepared from this point forward paired wonderfully with wine.) The French Laundry followed, then The Apple Farm - where she began to teach - and, in later years, she illustrates her retirement and the shift to cooking for two.
This memoir is chock-a-block with recipes, and commentary on the development of those recipes, and these dishes take up more than fifty percent of the volume. This could, and probably will, be referred to as a cookbook, but oh how unfortunate it would be to perceive it as such. Sally Schmitt is such a presence in these pages - calm, competent, curious and kind - we are surely with a woman, inside a life, surrounded by the bounty of a kitchen she has filled with her passion - it is impossible, when sitting in the center of it, to mistake this for a manual of any kind. It is the heart of a life's work.
Ms. Schmitt passed away on the cusp of the publication of Six California Kitchens, at the age of ninety. I suspect she would have been genuinely pleased at the way this all turned out.
February 3, 2022
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.
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.
February 26, 2023
A memoir by one of the first chefs to promote California cooking in the 1970s. Sally Scmitt and her husband founded the French Laundry restaurant in Yountsville.
Sally grew up (just a few miles from where I live) in Roseville California. Her father was (like my grandfather) a railroad worker. The family lived on a small farm, as my forebears in northern California had pioneer farmed just south of Sacramento.
So I felt some affinity as she started her memoir, which covers eighty years of growing up, becoming an accomplished cook, and founding seminal restaurants. But when she described how much physical and creative work she did while raising five children all resemblance ceased. I am in awe of someone who accomplished so much and describes it so casually.
The book is a delight. Beyond her work ethic it is filled with her devotion to healthy farming and eating, rigorous discipline and method, and celebration of family and friends. It is also filled with fabulous sounding recipes I can hardly wait to try. They are all based on the bounty of California farms, ranches and vineyards. Difficulty ranges from simple everyday meals to dishes you need to devote a day to, but all appear to be within the scope of a home cook.
Sally grew up (just a few miles from where I live) in Roseville California. Her father was (like my grandfather) a railroad worker. The family lived on a small farm, as my forebears in northern California had pioneer farmed just south of Sacramento.
So I felt some affinity as she started her memoir, which covers eighty years of growing up, becoming an accomplished cook, and founding seminal restaurants. But when she described how much physical and creative work she did while raising five children all resemblance ceased. I am in awe of someone who accomplished so much and describes it so casually.
The book is a delight. Beyond her work ethic it is filled with her devotion to healthy farming and eating, rigorous discipline and method, and celebration of family and friends. It is also filled with fabulous sounding recipes I can hardly wait to try. They are all based on the bounty of California farms, ranches and vineyards. Difficulty ranges from simple everyday meals to dishes you need to devote a day to, but all appear to be within the scope of a home cook.
January 6, 2022
This is a lovely memoir masquerading as a cookbook!
I find many memoirs, especially foodie ones a little pretentious but this was the lovely story of a woman and her family. Sally's odyssey from her mother's kitchen and into her own cooking/restaurant career was told nicely in terms of recipes and vignettes. I actually read and enjoyed all of her commentary. The setting of Yountville and the Napa Valley is a little familiar to me and that was also enjoyable.
I found many recipes that I will like to try, though ingredients might be hard to source for a home cook. The attention to detail in the instructions and added hints were great! The recipes were refreshing in that not a lot of special equipment was needed to prepare them.
It was intriguing to see that Apple Farm is still a working venue (except for the pandemic) and I'm now keen to try a stay there out when it is able to reopen.
The photography adds a lot to this book. Not every recipe is pictured but the setting is well documented in addition to the recipes themselves which is lovely.
I find many memoirs, especially foodie ones a little pretentious but this was the lovely story of a woman and her family. Sally's odyssey from her mother's kitchen and into her own cooking/restaurant career was told nicely in terms of recipes and vignettes. I actually read and enjoyed all of her commentary. The setting of Yountville and the Napa Valley is a little familiar to me and that was also enjoyable.
I found many recipes that I will like to try, though ingredients might be hard to source for a home cook. The attention to detail in the instructions and added hints were great! The recipes were refreshing in that not a lot of special equipment was needed to prepare them.
It was intriguing to see that Apple Farm is still a working venue (except for the pandemic) and I'm now keen to try a stay there out when it is able to reopen.
The photography adds a lot to this book. Not every recipe is pictured but the setting is well documented in addition to the recipes themselves which is lovely.
December 31, 2021
I really liked the stories that went with every delicious recipe in this book. I have made several recipes and can see why she has had many successful restaurants. So many tips also in this cookbook.
May 3, 2024
A wonderful book and Sally Schmitt comes across as a lovely person. I wish I had half her energy. I intend to visit the Apple Farm next time I’m in Mendocino. I got this out of the library and, although I really shouldn’t buy more cookbooks, I think I’m going to have to buy this one.
April 25, 2022
I literally read this book cover to cover. This book is more than recipes. There are hidden tidbits about cooking that are often passed down generation to generation. There’s the story of a wonderful life.
Then, there’s the recipes.
What can I say? Well, I have the big Italian cookbook by Marcella Hazan. I even have a backup hardcover copy in case something happens to mine. Marcella taught me how to cook when I was in college. I’d rescue that book in a fire.
I think Sally Schmitt’s cookbook is in the same class as Marcella Hazan and Julia Child. Recipes that work. Cookbooks that become part of who you are.
Sally Schmitt’s recipes are mostly real recipes that normal people often eat at home even, but her recipes yield results that match our memories of the best happiest meals we ever ate.
Sally, Marcella, and Julia.
I urge you to get a copy and expect it to be one of your most loved.
Then, there’s the recipes.
What can I say? Well, I have the big Italian cookbook by Marcella Hazan. I even have a backup hardcover copy in case something happens to mine. Marcella taught me how to cook when I was in college. I’d rescue that book in a fire.
I think Sally Schmitt’s cookbook is in the same class as Marcella Hazan and Julia Child. Recipes that work. Cookbooks that become part of who you are.
Sally Schmitt’s recipes are mostly real recipes that normal people often eat at home even, but her recipes yield results that match our memories of the best happiest meals we ever ate.
Sally, Marcella, and Julia.
I urge you to get a copy and expect it to be one of your most loved.
December 22, 2022
This is a lovely memoir/cookbook. I recently saw a short documentary about Sally Schmitt and was wondering how I never heard of her being a Californian. It’s hard not to be moved by her love of life and the joy of cooking she had.
The format of the book takes you through the “ladder” of her 6 kitchens.
This is a gem!
The format of the book takes you through the “ladder” of her 6 kitchens.
This is a gem!
August 19, 2022
Homesick
I devoured this book over two days, bewildered at the culinary history that unfolded just up the road from where I grew up, yet a world away. I had a passion for cooking since I was a child, and feel the bittersweet longing for this era in the beautiful Napa Valley. I was sad to hear that Sally died in March of this year, but I am so happy that (1) she is getting the recognition she deserves and (2) her family continues the tradition of so-called “California cuisine.” 🧡
I devoured this book over two days, bewildered at the culinary history that unfolded just up the road from where I grew up, yet a world away. I had a passion for cooking since I was a child, and feel the bittersweet longing for this era in the beautiful Napa Valley. I was sad to hear that Sally died in March of this year, but I am so happy that (1) she is getting the recognition she deserves and (2) her family continues the tradition of so-called “California cuisine.” 🧡
February 7, 2022
This is a lovely cookbook/memoir from Sally Schmidt with California-esque recipes and plenty of stories. I kept bookmarking pages for recipes to make! Focusing on Napa Valley and Yountville, this book is a treasure of farm to table dishes, over six restaurants.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!
June 24, 2022
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!
September 15, 2022
The subtitle says it best: “This is a collection of recipes, stories and cooking lessons from a pioneer of California cuisine.”
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.
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.
August 11, 2022
This is an excellent book spanning the career of a true pioneer in Modern American cuisine. Sally Schmitt shared her practical approach to her life working in California kitchens. From her mom’s kitchen to her first commercial kitchen, Sally kept challenging herself and eventually designed her own kitchen. Still as life was never ending with lessons to teach her she soon found herself starting her second restaurant, The French Laundry, with her husband in an effort to hone in on her unique and ambitious approach to cooking and sharing food with other people. Still filled with an impetus to move forward and progress she began to pass forth her experiences in what became her fifth kitchen—a shared kitchen. Finally she decided to retire to a small cottage with her husband in what would be her sixth kitchen—a kitchen for two. Her book is filled with recipes and anecdotes cherry-picked from her life and from her six kitchens. The book starts with a succinct, one-page preface describing the format the cookbook/storybook will take. The book includes a chronology of her life, a list of her basic kitchen principles, an explanation of her recipe formats, countless recipes, a snapshot of her pantry (for certain things she learned to always keep on hand), and a complete index (pointing towards recipes, ingredients, farms, businesses, people of interest, and etc…). Highly recommended reading for aspiring chefs and for people in love with American kitchen culture. Highlights for me include her candor when introducing family favorite recipes like “green eggs and ham” and the passion and joy she expresses when talking about feeding her French Laundry waitstaff of two as they would sit down to write out the menus by hand—every day a new menu.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2022
Foodies love to read about other foodies, especially when the stories and recipes come from an innovative food pioneer. Sally Schmitt is the original founder of The French Laundry, and Six California Kitchens: A Collection of Recipes, Stories, and Cooking Lessons from a Pioneer of California Cuisine recounts the culinary life of one of the most ingenious creators of California Cuisine. This excellent cookbook is one that anyone who is interested in food will want to curl up in a corner and read cover to cover. The prose is well-written, and it will keep every reader’s interest.
The recipes cover decades of food trends, and are appealing to modern cooks because they have a history. While Schmitt’s recipes are not written in the traditional manner that is in most cookbooks today, they are easy to follow.
The photographs are both in color and black and white; they are from the past and also from the present, making it fascinating. The photos are very well done and are one of the reasons that this is such a wonderful book. Unfortunately, there aren’t photos of every recipe, which is most likely the only negative in the book. Schmitt’s personality comes through, and makes readers love her even though they may not have been introduced.
Anyone who is serious about food and likes to learn as much as possible about it will love to own this excellent cookbook. It will have a special place in my cookbook collection, and belongs on every serious cooks collection next to classic cooks like Julia Child and Marcella Hazen.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
The recipes cover decades of food trends, and are appealing to modern cooks because they have a history. While Schmitt’s recipes are not written in the traditional manner that is in most cookbooks today, they are easy to follow.
The photographs are both in color and black and white; they are from the past and also from the present, making it fascinating. The photos are very well done and are one of the reasons that this is such a wonderful book. Unfortunately, there aren’t photos of every recipe, which is most likely the only negative in the book. Schmitt’s personality comes through, and makes readers love her even though they may not have been introduced.
Anyone who is serious about food and likes to learn as much as possible about it will love to own this excellent cookbook. It will have a special place in my cookbook collection, and belongs on every serious cooks collection next to classic cooks like Julia Child and Marcella Hazen.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
March 22, 2022
Six California Kitchens is a love letter to a burgeoning locavore food scene that continues to lead trends and influence the entire country and the ways we source food and dine more than six decades later. The photographs and carefully chosen recipes bring even more depth to the beautifully told story of Sally's evolution from young home cook to home economics student to chef and co-founder of the iconic French Laundry restaurant to her life after French Laundry and beyond as she neared her 90th birthday. This reflection is made even more poignant by her passing as I was reading it for review. This incredible book is at once a cookbook, a memoir, a food history lesson, and a love story. A must-have for foodies and fans of California cuisine.
I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and will include it in a TBR round-up of recent releases for foodies later this spring. I'll also be adding a physical copy to my permanent collection upon its April 5, 2022 publication.
I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and will include it in a TBR round-up of recent releases for foodies later this spring. I'll also be adding a physical copy to my permanent collection upon its April 5, 2022 publication.
April 14, 2022
There is a lot to unpack with this cookbook/memoir — it's not skim-able in the same way many cookbooks are, in a good way. It's the kind of book where you may earmark your fave recipes, but will still be able to discover new pockets of stories and/or different approaches to preparing the tried and true over time.
The recipes are intuitive and come with delightful background, which enriches the experience. They are also simple enough but varied enough to cover every day things like potato salad, and also fancier options, depending on who the inspiration for the chapter is.
One of the things that drives me crazy about recipes and cookbooks in general is the separation of ingredients and recipe steps. The way the recipe instructions are written in this book removes some of that annoyance, as they are more in a narrative flow and remove doubt as to what you should be doing and how you should be doing it.
The recipes are intuitive and come with delightful background, which enriches the experience. They are also simple enough but varied enough to cover every day things like potato salad, and also fancier options, depending on who the inspiration for the chapter is.
One of the things that drives me crazy about recipes and cookbooks in general is the separation of ingredients and recipe steps. The way the recipe instructions are written in this book removes some of that annoyance, as they are more in a narrative flow and remove doubt as to what you should be doing and how you should be doing it.
May 21, 2025
I think Sally Schmitt is a great example of a person who could be rightfully proud of everything they've accomplished in life. Sally was a truly admirable woman: a talented cook and pioneer of the locavore cuisine, a businesswoman, and a mother. She and her husband raised five kids while running their highly lauded restaurant The French Laundry in California, where Sally worked in the kitchen as chef. All of their kids worked in Sally and Don's restaurants at some point, helping out their parents and learning good work ethic. Sally lived to 90 years of age, seeing some of her grandkids getting married and great-grandkids being born.
The book is part memoir and part recipe collection. I really liked the memoir, as for the recipes, they were okay. I liked some of them (cabbage slaw with toasted fennel, fresh apple salsa, sorrel and potato soup, green eggs and ham), but others were a bit dated (a lot of chicken breast, meh).
The book is part memoir and part recipe collection. I really liked the memoir, as for the recipes, they were okay. I liked some of them (cabbage slaw with toasted fennel, fresh apple salsa, sorrel and potato soup, green eggs and ham), but others were a bit dated (a lot of chicken breast, meh).
April 5, 2022
This is such an interesting memoir, and Sally's voice is so positive, wise, and full of life! I really liked the tour through her various kitchens and the things she learned there. I also really appreciated that most of her discussions on food focused on the "why" of the ingredients and techniques she used, along with the "what" and "how".
The format of the recipes differs from the typical list of ingredients followed by a list of instructions, but I had no trouble following them and easily got used to the style. Somehow the food presented seemed both accessible and aspirational all at once. I didn't see much I didn't feel like I could make, but they all seemed elevated, with a great respect for the ingredients and joy of cooking. What an enjoyable read!
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
The format of the recipes differs from the typical list of ingredients followed by a list of instructions, but I had no trouble following them and easily got used to the style. Somehow the food presented seemed both accessible and aspirational all at once. I didn't see much I didn't feel like I could make, but they all seemed elevated, with a great respect for the ingredients and joy of cooking. What an enjoyable read!
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
October 25, 2022
Got another stack of cookbooks from the new books shelf at the library. This was the cream of the crop. Interesting memoir of Sally Schmitt’s life interspersed with recipes from stages of life and her various food enterprises including the French Laundry.
Recipes copied:
Lazy Housewife Pickles
Curried Chicken Breast
Peach Chutney
Tomatillo Tortilla Soup
Date, Onion & Avocado Salad with Peanuts
Butter Lettuce Salad with Cumin, Oregano & Orange
Scallops in Tequila Lime Cream with Cilantro Gremola
Red Pepper Tapenade
Lemon Cloud with Crisp Lemon Zest
Marinated Citrus Compote
Three Citrus Sherbet
Preserved Lemons
Braised Pork with Cider and Apples
Caramel Apricot Rice Pudding
Angie’s Spice Cake
Rhubarb Shortcake
Recipes copied:
Lazy Housewife Pickles
Curried Chicken Breast
Peach Chutney
Tomatillo Tortilla Soup
Date, Onion & Avocado Salad with Peanuts
Butter Lettuce Salad with Cumin, Oregano & Orange
Scallops in Tequila Lime Cream with Cilantro Gremola
Red Pepper Tapenade
Lemon Cloud with Crisp Lemon Zest
Marinated Citrus Compote
Three Citrus Sherbet
Preserved Lemons
Braised Pork with Cider and Apples
Caramel Apricot Rice Pudding
Angie’s Spice Cake
Rhubarb Shortcake
November 2, 2022
Who knew that the famed French Laundry was originally opened not by Thomas Keller but by a woman Sally Schmitt who then sold it to TK rather than becoming a celebrity chef? Not us. A recent NY Times video about her passing brought her to our attention and we snapped up this book, a loving tribute to cooking, food and family. The stories are charming and the recipes look fantastic. We just pulled the cranberry-apple cake out of the oven and it looks amazing. A real find of a book; could make a great Christmas present for any foodies in your life. AND...you can order it directly from the Philo Apple Farm [https://www.philoapplefarm.com/sallys...] and not have to give the evil Amazon any money, another plus.
January 28, 2022
If you are a foodie, if you feel nostalgic about food and the way your mom, grandma, great Auntie Sadie made it - this is the book for you.
She takes us on a trip from her fist kitchen in her mother's home to the kitchen today. She talks about the ingredients, where they came from and their story.
This book will open people's eyes about picking an apricot off the tree and eating it vs. putting an apricot into a plastic bag at the supermarket and eating it a few days later.
Flavor, Nostalgia, Family and FOOD!
Loved it! Highly recommend.
I was given an advanced copy via NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity!
She takes us on a trip from her fist kitchen in her mother's home to the kitchen today. She talks about the ingredients, where they came from and their story.
This book will open people's eyes about picking an apricot off the tree and eating it vs. putting an apricot into a plastic bag at the supermarket and eating it a few days later.
Flavor, Nostalgia, Family and FOOD!
Loved it! Highly recommend.
I was given an advanced copy via NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity!
September 22, 2022
This is a lovely book of recipes and reminiscences by a great lady of California cuisine. Before there were elaborate concoctions at the French Laundry that sometimes barely resemble food, there was a wonderful kitchen with a chef, Sally Schmitt, who had plenty of rules and whose food was always delicious and memorable. I have not been to the French Laundry for more that twenty years, but it was a favorite place when Schmitt was in the kitchen. She has recipes and stories from other restaurants she ran also. And stories about other chefs, friends and family. A great contribution to food lore of Northern California.
January 23, 2022
Pure love. "We all have a ladder to climb, and then descend. My ladder was made up of six kitchens, all of them in California." I savored every delicious morsel of this book. Sally Schmitt is an iconic cooking legend who helped pioneer the farm-to-table movement in Napa. This is the story of how she got her start, the story of how The French Laundry was born, the story of Napa’s burgeoning wine scene, but mostly, the tender story of a family. Her family. Chock full of nostalgic photos, beloved recipes, charming anecdotes and insightful tips, this book is a timeless treasure.
March 29, 2022
Pioneer restaurateur Sally Schmitt has written a wonderful memoir/cookbook that I really enjoyed reading.
Gorgeous, homey photos interspersed amongst recipes and memories.
Part awareness and regard of food, part love story of family, my (non-vegan) husband and teens found many recipes in this to try.
While I wouldn’t suggest this for vegans, I would suggest it for others looking to gain a true appreciation of food.
eARC kindly provided by Chronicle Books and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
Gorgeous, homey photos interspersed amongst recipes and memories.
Part awareness and regard of food, part love story of family, my (non-vegan) husband and teens found many recipes in this to try.
While I wouldn’t suggest this for vegans, I would suggest it for others looking to gain a true appreciation of food.
eARC kindly provided by Chronicle Books and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
May 18, 2022
Far less recipes than expected. I liked the basic California Kitchen concepts : fresh, high quality, loc as l ingredients, simply prepared (or seemingly so). I enjoyed the references to James Beard and M.F.K. Fisher, who seemed to be contemporaries/mentors to Sally Schmidt. I can't believe that Sally and her husband managed and operated the series of restaurants and cooking school as family businesses, with minimal help and no formal cooking training. It was interesting to see how Sally ( as a cook/chef) and her family evolved with the restaurants.
July 26, 2022
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.
October 15, 2024
Like all Chronicle books, the cover, the weight of the paper, the photography and interesting text of personal recipes with techniques and anecdotes make for a good read. And as a Californian, I, of course, appreciated the farm-to-table food history. My main takeaway from Miss Schmitt is her zhushing of store-bought mayonnaise to make it aioli, but I couldn't see myself seeking out sorrel to make some of her sauces though I'm very fortunate to live in Northern California which abounds with year-round produce.
February 1, 2022
It’s fun to go back to where it all began. Chefs were not calling themselves chefs but cooks who were out to do things differently. Young ,eager, respectful of tradition but spoiling to upend and start fresh. Luckily they were in a place redolent in fresh and new and untried. Every story though true to its own path crossed over and spilled into the thoughts and ideas being unearthed here in California. A fun historical read.
March 22, 2022
This lovely book will have you wishing you were part of the early farm-to-fork scene when Sally and Don took over Vintage 1870 in Napa. Sally’s reminiscences over her more than 80 year life are filled with family, food and fun. The recipes are nostalgic glimpses back to a California when “foodie” was not a noun, but local food sources were a treasured part of every chef’s pantry.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 16, 2022
This book is great for somebody who would like to read a memoir that centers food and cooking or for somebody who likes Sally Schmitt's restaurants, but it is not a good cookbook. The recipes in the book, which are sparse compared to the memoir-writing come across as mostly outdated and uninspired. Sometimes Schmitt does well at tying in recipes with history, but mostly does so only with her family's history instead of with California history at large.
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