FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pamela Carmen

1999 CUISINE CANADA AWARD WINNER

OPEN KITCHEN
A Chef's Day at The Inn at Bay Fortune

By Chef Michael Smith, host of The Inn Chef television show

Foreword by Anita Stewart

5:00p.m. It’s time for lineup. The entire evening staff assembles in the kitchen for a quick strategy session. Their confidence is apparent. The dining room has been detailed — the menus readied, the glasses shined, the silverware polished, the napkins folded, and the flowers arranged. Team Cuisine is set. A just-prepared menu example is tasted as the chef describes one of the evening’s new dishes. The innkeeper conducts a tasting, describing the pedigree of a new wine. A discussion of a problematic service nuance follows and a solution is agreed upon. Everyone is focused on his or her role in the coming drama. “Open kitchen,” declares the chef and the staff heads for their posts.

Thus, television host and award-winning chef Michael Smith depicts the electrifying moments before the evening meal service begins in a four-star restaurant.

During his 15 years as a professional chef, Smith has earned a sparkling international reputation and OPEN KITCHEN (Callawind Publications, US$19.95/CDN$24.95, trade paper with flaps) illustrates why. His cooking is spectacular, emphasizing simple, fresh ingredients and vegetable-thickened sauces used in innovative combinations. The book presents Smith’s highly-praised recipes from “a day in the life of a chef” perspective, enlivened by personal anecdotes. Reading this book is like having Michael Smith working beside you, both inspiring and entertaining.

Take some of his “Taste Tests.” Master his “Chef’s Hints.” See how the techniques that are the foundation of a professional kitchen can be translated for home use. Then cook some of the mouthwatering breakfast, lunch, and dinner items found in OPEN KITCHEN such as:

• Chive Biscuits with Scrambled Egg Stuffing, Cheddar Sauce, and Bacon
• Whole Wheat Apple Flipjacks with My Mom’s Applesauce
• Slow-Baked Chicken with Lemon, Thyme, Root Vegetables, and Whole Garlic
• Island Blue Mussel and Sweet Potato Chowder with Spicy Butter Swirls
• Caramel and Horseradish Apple Soups with Sharp Cheddar Fritters and Spicy Apple Chutney
• Molten Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Cookie Clock Hands, Allspice Pepper Sautéed Bananas, and Rum Froth

OPEN KITCHEN follows a timeline from breakfast to dinner featuring recipes straight from the day’s menus. Smith devotes one section to the importance of tasting, and how to achieve flavor balance in a dish. A delightful chapter reveals what busy chefs eat for lunch. The recipes contain detailed information about ingredients, preparation, timing, and wine recommendations. In addition, readers will learn what basic kitchen equipment is recommended for the home cook, how to prepare the Inn’s signature stocks, sauces and spice mixes, and how to plan a day’s menu. Charming line drawings by the author and full-color photographs are spread throughout the book.

About the author: Michael Smith is recognized as one of Canada’s top chefs. A 1991 honors graduate of the Culinary Institute of America ( New York), Michael Smith has worked in elite kitchens in New York, London, Colorado, California, Texas, the Caribbean, and Venezuela. He has worked under David Bouley, Larry Forgione, Paul Sartory, and Albert Roux. In 1992, Michael took over as chef of The Inn at Bay Fortune on Prince Edward Island and turned it into a culinary destination. He is currently chef emeritus of the Inn and owns and operates Maple, a restaurant in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Smith is the host of The Inn Cheftelevision series, which has aired nationally in Canada on Life Network since the fall of 1998, and is now also now airing on Food Network Canada and in Australia. He is also the author of OPEN KITCHEN: A Chef’s Dayat The Inn at Bay Fortune (Callawind Publications), a 1999 Cuisine Canada award winner that topped food writer Marie Nightingale’s 1998 list of the best new cookbooks

KINDLY SEND A COPY OF YOUR REVIEW OR MENTION

OPEN KITCHEN: A Chef’s Day at The Inn at Bay Fortune
by Michael Smith  
Released: Fall 1998
Published by Callawind Publications
Distributed by Biblio Distribution (a division of NBN — National Book Network)
Format: 8½ x 8½ inches /168 pages
Color food photos, black & white photos, and illustrations throughout
Price: US$19.95 / CDN$24.95 (trade paper with flaps)
ISBN 1-896511-10-4
Available at retail and online bookstores or by calling 1-800-387-5085