The Vegetarian Guy
read… eat… live…
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Jul 2
Quotes from Amazon.com reviews:
All “secrets” are shared in this book. I believe this based on the quality of his recipes and the thoroughness of his descriptions. Also, if you get to meet him in person, you’ll get a sense that George is down to earth and one of those sincere, full of integrity, and patient individuals we don’t get to meet often enough. He poured everything he has in this book and it shows.
~CM
He’s holding up a beautiful fresh vegetable for you to admire, inspiring you to make the most of it in the recipe. He’s sharing memories, history, and wonderful photographs, all so engaging that you’ll read through it like a novel! The layout of one recipe per page with the ingredients listed on the side, makes it user-friendly. The recipes are cleary written and simple to follow. The seasonings perfect. Move over Moosewood!
~JB
This has become one of my favorite cookbooks and I’m not even vegetarian. The recipes are written in such a way that they are very easy to follow, and the author has included a brief description of each recipe that is both interesting and informative.
~JG
It is a crowd pleaser for sure and i have even turned some self defined die hard meat eaters onto it at dinner parties. Highly recommended!!!
~NB
As Detroit natives, my family and I had been Inn Season Cafe fans for years. Needless to say, we were ecstatic when a friend informed us that the cookbook had just come out. This is not just a book for Inn Season fans, it’s a great cookbook for anyone who is vegan or looking to eat healthier — or just looking to expand their culinary horizons, for that matter (many of the recipes feature international cuisines and flavors). I am also gluten-free and many of the recipes are gluten-free or easily adaptable. The brown rice salad (p. 73) was a huge hit with the whole fam (veg and non-veg alike). This is a wonderful all-around cookbook, and one that I’m sure I will cherish for years to come.~Beth
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The Secrets Are Out
Filed under Eatable, George's Book, George's Notes, Inn Season Cafe, Market Reports, Readable, Vegan FoodMay 4
After an organic process encompassing eight years, my cookbook Vegetarian Traditions: Favorite Recipes From My Years at the Legendary Inn Season Cafe is at last available. While writing the book, I realized the story is much larger than just the favorite recipes from the restaurant. In addition to my own culinary journey, it is a tale of an entire community which ultimately honed their definition of good food by what we served. The secret behind our success turned out to be the local organic farmers and artisan vendors who made the delicious, energizing food possible. They are the life-blood of the ongoing food revolution in this country, of which we have been eager participants.
Every year as spring progresses toward summer, the Royal Oak Farmers Market starts to fill the stalls with the bounty of Michigan’s fertile land; has been a ritual shared by the residents of South Oakland County since 1929. I started going to the market in 1981 when we first opened the doors of Inn Season Cafe. Over the years, the farmers and I came to know each other; we shared family stories, cooking tips and arduous tales of the fickle Michigan weather. this
Frequently, if there was something special grown or found, they would save it for me knowing how much I appreciated the rare gems of the Michigan soil. When George Uhlianuk discovered a giant puff ball mushroom in the woods behind his farm, he would bring it to the market for me. Those mushrooms were not a commercial variety and could grow eight or nine inches in a day. They had to be consumed right away while still white or they would begin to age and develop a yellow hue around the edges, no longer fit to eat. When prepared at the peak of freshness, these mushrooms are a delicacy. Sliced and sauteed in olive oil with a touch of tamari, balsamic vinegar and fresh ground white pepper, puff balls satisfy a vegetarian’s rogue cravings for rich and meaty flavors.
In addition to fresh produce, the market was my primary source for planting and gardening materials. I would fill my earthen plots with perennials from farmers and growers who found new and unusual varieties every year. One spring, a farmer dove into his pond to gather Michigan irises for me. They still show their bright yellow blooms in the secret garden pond at my old house across the street from Inn Season Cafe.
Saturday mornings at the market were a weekly festival of shopping, talking, sharing and laughing. I developed many friendships over the years with like-minded folks who shared my passion for fresh food and market-inspired cooking.
After selling the restaurant, I began shopping at various markets throughout North America and found many of the experiences I had in Royal Oak to be part of a common thread. Aside from the tremendous difference in quality between produce purchased from local farmers and that purchased in a grocery or warehouse, we benefit on a societal and economic level by renewing the connection between farmers and communities. This is the magic of farmers markets.
I now live in San Diego enjoying the year-round harvest in the farmers markets. Yet, I still miss the excitement and anticipation of spring at the Royal Oak Farmers Market. Memories of full sensual immersion–the spring garlic shoots at Cinzori Farms, Randy Hampshire’s freshly-ground corn meal, Jim Burda’s succulent raspberries, Jim VanDenBerg’s sweet carrots, Don Van Houtte’s candy-like sugar snap peas, Maple Creek Farm’s nutrient-rich kale and Kate & Al Weilnau’s organic, hand-snipped asparagus. I think of those crisp and cool mornings at the market and I can feel the cooking inspiration swell inside of me.
My desire to share my feelings about the connection between the earth, farm and table was one of my motivations in writing Vegetarian Traditions: Favorite Recipes From My Years At The Legendary Inn Season Cafe. The book identifies the real heroes behind every great chef’s cuisine–the farmers.
The book has over 150 vegan recipes. Elegant entrees, soups, salads and melt-in-your-mouth desserts are in an easy-to-follow format accompanied by beautiful color photos.Each dish is packed with “super-foods”–energizing, healthy and delicious. Signed copies are now available for a limited time through my store. Just click on the “order now” button on this site.
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Apr 22
In honor of Earth Day, I chose a collection of previous blog posts as a tribute to the connection we all have with the planet. A small reminder that everything we do can be a celebration of the earth.
How to Shop at the Farmers Market
Topsoil Tales …or Nourishing From the Ground Up
Tagged as: Eating, Farmers Market, La Milpa Organica, Organic, Organic Gardening, Royal Oak, Sage mountain, san diego -
Jan 31
The venerable chef Jacques Pepin once described to me his view of the ‘world of cooking’. Keith Famie had invited him for a book release event at Keith’s restaurant, Les Auteurs, in Royal Oak. During the event, Monsieur Pepin approached me and spoke about the vast world of cooking and how there are only so many preparations one can make in a lifetime. He told me that “people become too attached to making a few good recipes. When someone learns to prepare a fish well and then thinks he is a chef, I do not have much respect for them. On the other hand, when a young cook presents something to me and asks for an opinion thinking it could be better this way or that, there is hope. Humility and respect are essential for success in the world of cooking.” Monsieur Pepin then described his latest cookbook, his passion for mushrooms and his farm that produced 10,000 delectable pounds a year. Pointing to a picture of himself and his wife in the front of the book he mentioned that under the table he was not wearing pants.
A few moments later, he took me over to the beautiful spread of food which Keith had laid out and picked up a small spoon of mustard for me to taste. It was the one thing he had prepared at the table. The mustard danced on my tongue with intensity. The flavor was like coming upon a solid yellow field of mustard blossoms among a sea of green growth. Well balanced with a sweet finish, it was great. I thanked Chef Pepin, he had given me much to think about …as well as with something to wink about.
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Jul 17
embedded video from vimeo:
Videos From The Vegetarian Guy
