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Why I Cook

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Why I CookWhy I Cook
$21.5 $43 In stock

Category: Books

Tom Colicchio cooked his first recipe at 13 years old-a stuffed eggplant from an issue of Cuisine magazine that he picked up out of boredom-and it changed his life. Now for the first time ever, Tom recounts the extraordinary personal journey that brought him from his working-class Italian background in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the award-winning kitchens of New York City's best restaurants, to the set of Top Chef and the stage of the Emmy Awards.

Through 10 memoir chapters and 60 recipes, Why I Cook shares Tom's personal reflections of more than 40 years behind the stove. From pre-dawn fishing excursions with his grandfather to running the flat-top at the snack shack of the local swim club, to finding his way as a young chef in New York City, Tom chronicles the dishes and memories that have shaped him as a person and chef.

Through these meaningful dishes, gorgeous recipe shots, and images from Tom's childhood, Why I Cook is the most personal look into Tom's life yet.

Customer Reviews (5.0 / 5 · 5 reviews)

Leo ★★★★★

The stuffed eggplant story alone is worth the price—it reads like a memoir wrapped around a cookbook. I’ve already dog-eared half the pages, and the way he traces each dish back to a specific moment makes you feel like you’re in the kitchen with him.

David G. ★★★★★

I picked this up for the storytelling as much as the recipes, and the opening about that bored-kid moment with a stuffed eggplant hooked me immediately. The way Colicchio ties his personal kitchen memories to each dish makes it read like a memoir you can actually cook from.

Chloe F. ★★★★★

The first chapter alone, where he recounts that stuffed eggplant from a teenage boredom-fueled experiment, makes you want to run to the kitchen immediately. It reads less like a cookbook and more like a personal conversation with a guy who genuinely loves why we cook.

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