Julia Child once remarked, “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”
For Julia Child, Ruth Reichl, Jose Andres and Anthony Bourdain, food has been their passion and a driving force in their lives and careers. All four memoirs can be checked out as audiobooks on our Overdrive database.
“Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child” by Bob Spitz chronicles the extraordinary and inspiring life and career of this pioneer in television cooking shows. Follow Julia as she makes her public television debut in 1962 at the age of fifty. With her easy-going manner, enthusiasm and unforgettable voice, Julia soon captivated audiences and won the hearts of the American public. Little did anyone suspect the lasting impact she would have and it all started with an omelet.
Before joining Gourmet Magazine as editor in chief, Ruth Reichl also held a powerful position as food critic for The New York Times. Remaining anonymous is key for reporting a truthful and unvarnished restaurant review. Once restaurant
managers realized who she was, Ruth’s picture was circulated to every eatery in town. “Garlic and Sapphires” is a lively tale chronicling her incognito capers as Miriam, Chloe, Brenda, Betty, Emily and Molly to stay one step ahead as a critic in disguise.
On the April 6th cover of Time magazine stands chef Jose Andres with a tall paddle in one hand and a giant kettle at his side. He was being recognized for his humanitarian aid in feeding masses of people affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This is not the first time he has come to the rescue of people in crisis. 
In September 2017, Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico with 155 mph winds. The island was flooded, without power and desperate for help. In “We Fed an Island”, listen to Jose tell the amazing and uplifting story of what happened from arriving four days after the hurricane to eventually preparing nearly 4 million meals for the residents of Puerto Rico and giving them hope.
Chef, author and world traveler, Anthony Bourdain left us too soon. He had a profound influence upon workers in the food industry as well as the general public. For many, his departure left a hole that will be hard to fill. Fortunately, we can listen to
Anthony tell his own tales from his memoir, “Medium Raw”. In this follow-up to “Kitchen Confidential,” he provides us a tasting menu of topics such as career experiences, overseas adventures, fatherhood, celebrity TV chefs, plus much more.
We have some exciting news to share! If you have been longing to check out books again from the Smiley Library, the wait is over! Our latest program, “Books to Go,” allows our patrons to select library materials from our online catalog and pick them up by appointment. For more information, please visit our website at www.akspl.org or call us at (909) 798-7565.
When I say a treasure trove of titles, I mean it. I would not engage in false advertising at a time like this. Titles like Karen M. McManus’ 
Stamper’s The Gravity of Us, Jenny Han’s entire 
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friendly database, giving the learner a wide range of learning options. It has a variety of fluency levels that range from the basics, using postcards with simple words and phrases, to more advanced options where you can listen to plays, poetry, or even listen to music. I found myself listening to the play “Cyrano de Bergerac” in the French language course. If you want a more personalized course, Pronunciator lets the learner custom build their own lesson plan. It offers many topics and lets the student choose the subject matter and for how long they want the course to last.