Oh no, another blog. Another commercial enterprise trying to disguise its advertising as a conversation. Well, we hope not.
Being involved with cookery books on a daily basis provides us with an excuse to explore a range of topics, but much of the research and debate that animates our office life never makes it into our published work. In other words, sometimes the back stories are instructive and the process of arriving at a ‘No, we’re not going to do that’ is as stimulating as embracing a project. We talk about a lot of things around the office: sustainable agriculture, the hubris of chefs, why kids are obsessed with the color of food, why booksellers don’t seem to read, photography, type, paper, new technology in and out of the kitchen. It’s a cocktail, with no fixed recipe. Sometimes the mix gets a little too strong and we throw it out and start all over.
We hope you will find this space a good place to eavesdrop and that our chatter will stimulate you enough to want to join in. Will we talk about books we’ve published or that we sell? In the spirit of transparency the answer is “Yes, sometimes”. It’s inevitable since they occupy so much of our time and energy, but we hope to do so in a way that will not sound like BUY THIS, but much more like Consider this.
From the beginning, Bibliotheca Culinaria was conceived as a place for collecting what we hope is useful information. In our minds it was always a sort of refuge, initially for the under-represented class of professional chefs (my, how things have changed) and later as an alternative to the one-size-fits-all kind of books turned out by the big publishing houses. It’s our intention that this blog should constitute a similar space: a place to collect ideas (even the odd ones) that stimulate, a haven for the curious reader.
Quando la temperatura sale, l’appetito vacilla. Stuzzicare il cliente svogliato non è facilissimo. Ecco qualche suggerimento per combattere l’inerzia estiva:
Thousands of cookbooks are published in Italy each year. The numbers are staggering and one can’t help but wonder, “Too many?” This question may seem odd coming from a publisher, particularly one that has made its name as a specialist in gastronomical books. The truth is that a supply exceeding demand is not good news …
Place cards are usually employed for dinners involving eight or more. They’re actually quite useful for avoiding that embarrassing little pantomime that occurs when it’s time to be seated and no one wants to appear rude by being the first to choose a spot. The time spent on that awkward moment of hesitations and musical chairs …
The genesis of the microwave oven can be traced to military research. It’s a classic story of “defense spending” that found a pacifistic, or in this case, a domestic application. Its evolution has as a rather singular “back to the future” story arc. Early models were conceived for the professional kitchen, research and development opened …
We’re off!
Oh no, another blog. Another commercial enterprise trying to disguise its advertising as a conversation. Well, we hope not.
Being involved with cookery books on a daily basis provides us with an excuse to explore a range of topics, but much of the research and debate that animates our office life never makes it into our published work. In other words, sometimes the back stories are instructive and the process of arriving at a ‘No, we’re not going to do that’ is as stimulating as embracing a project. We talk about a lot of things around the office: sustainable agriculture, the hubris of chefs, why kids are obsessed with the color of food, why booksellers don’t seem to read, photography, type, paper, new technology in and out of the kitchen. It’s a cocktail, with no fixed recipe. Sometimes the mix gets a little too strong and we throw it out and start all over.
We hope you will find this space a good place to eavesdrop and that our chatter will stimulate you enough to want to join in. Will we talk about books we’ve published or that we sell? In the spirit of transparency the answer is “Yes, sometimes”. It’s inevitable since they occupy so much of our time and energy, but we hope to do so in a way that will not sound like BUY THIS, but much more like Consider this.
From the beginning, Bibliotheca Culinaria was conceived as a place for collecting what we hope is useful information. In our minds it was always a sort of refuge, initially for the under-represented class of professional chefs (my, how things have changed) and later as an alternative to the one-size-fits-all kind of books turned out by the big publishing houses. It’s our intention that this blog should constitute a similar space: a place to collect ideas (even the odd ones) that stimulate, a haven for the curious reader.
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Be cool
Quando la temperatura sale, l’appetito vacilla. Stuzzicare il cliente svogliato non è facilissimo. Ecco qualche suggerimento per combattere l’inerzia estiva:
Too many cook books?
Thousands of cookbooks are published in Italy each year. The numbers are staggering and one can’t help but wonder, “Too many?” This question may seem odd coming from a publisher, particularly one that has made its name as a specialist in gastronomical books. The truth is that a supply exceeding demand is not good news …
Places everyone!
Place cards are usually employed for dinners involving eight or more. They’re actually quite useful for avoiding that embarrassing little pantomime that occurs when it’s time to be seated and no one wants to appear rude by being the first to choose a spot. The time spent on that awkward moment of hesitations and musical chairs …
The Microwave Oven: Back to the Future
The genesis of the microwave oven can be traced to military research. It’s a classic story of “defense spending” that found a pacifistic, or in this case, a domestic application. Its evolution has as a rather singular “back to the future” story arc. Early models were conceived for the professional kitchen, research and development opened …