The Chef Says | Nach Waxman

'Clean plates don't lie.' - Dan Barber. Great chefs are not self-effacing or meek - there's no room for indecision in the professional kitchen, where the slightest stumble can send an entire restaurant into the weeds. So it follows that even in quieter moments, what chefs have to say is usually opinionated and always illuminating. The Chef Says invites readers to the ultimate food-lover's dinner party, where cooks from ancient Greece rub shoulders and talk shop with today's rising stars. These unruly culinarians compliment, compete and disagree with one another as they discuss childhood and training, taste preferences and trends, the quest for perfection and the grueling but exhilarating business of opening a restaurant. The Chef Says will captivate anyone who has ever worked in a kitchen, been inspired by a flawlessly ripe tomato, or resolved a crisis by adding more butter. The first compendium to focus on quotations from chefs themselves, it is the perfect gift for professionals, foodies, home cooks and anyone interested in culinary culture. Features 150 quotes from an international roster of chefs, including Lidia Bastianich, Mario Batali, James Beard, Daniel Boulud, Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, Julia Child, Tom Colicchio, Elizabeth David, Wylie Dufresne, Gabrielle Hamilton, Thomas Keller, Jim Lahey, Sarabeth Levine, Edna Lewis, Anita Lo, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Samuelsson, Andre Soltner, Charlie Trotter, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alice Waters and many others.