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something to food about

Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs

Foreword by Anthony Bourdain
Photographs by Kyoko Hamada
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In somethingtofoodabout, drummer, producer, musical director, culinary entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author, Questlove, applies his boundless curiosity to the world of food.

In conversations with ten innovative chefs in America, Questlove explores what makes their creativity tick, how they see the world through their cooking and how their cooking teaches them to see the world. The conversations begin with food but they end wherever food takes them.

Food is fuel. Food is culture. Food is history. And food is food for thought. 

Featuring conversations with: Nathan Myhrvold, Modernist Cuisine Lab, Seattle;  Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, and NoMad, NYC;  Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia; Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, L.A.; Dave Beran, Next, Chicago; Donald Link, Cochon, New Orleans;  Dominque Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco;  Daniel Patterson, Coi and Loco'l, San Francisco; Jesse Griffiths, Dai Due, Austin; and Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland
“It’s a fresh ride.”--New York Times
 
“With somethingtofoodabout, Quest (aka Philadelphia's Ahmir Thompson) dives head first into the topics that get chefs talking: What is creativity? How are art and food related? What does the future hold for food and cooking? Questlove sits down with some of the most exceptional chefs in America, including Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Michael Solomonov (Zahav), and Daniel Patterson (Coi). Questlove himself plays an equal part in getting the answers, providing examples and references to his own life as a musician and creator as he talks with food luminaries about the thorny questions surrounding creativity.”--Eater
 
Somethingtofoodabout is really a passion project. For Questlove, it’s not about the food business, but rather the ideas, the concepts, and the imaginations behind the chefs who feed him. There are no recipes and no how-tos. For Questlove, the only how-to you need to know is how to appreciate and understand the taste, the process, and the journey of the idea.”--Vogue
 
“An enjoyable, frequently surprising exploration of creativity.”--Kirkus Reviews
© Gail Ghezzi
Ben Greenman is a contributing writer at The New Yorker. His short fiction has appeared in the Paris Review, Zoetrope: All Story, McSweeney’s, Opium Magazine, the Mississippi Review, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn. View titles by Ben Greenman

About

In somethingtofoodabout, drummer, producer, musical director, culinary entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author, Questlove, applies his boundless curiosity to the world of food.

In conversations with ten innovative chefs in America, Questlove explores what makes their creativity tick, how they see the world through their cooking and how their cooking teaches them to see the world. The conversations begin with food but they end wherever food takes them.

Food is fuel. Food is culture. Food is history. And food is food for thought. 

Featuring conversations with: Nathan Myhrvold, Modernist Cuisine Lab, Seattle;  Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, and NoMad, NYC;  Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia; Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, L.A.; Dave Beran, Next, Chicago; Donald Link, Cochon, New Orleans;  Dominque Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco;  Daniel Patterson, Coi and Loco'l, San Francisco; Jesse Griffiths, Dai Due, Austin; and Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland

Praise

“It’s a fresh ride.”--New York Times
 
“With somethingtofoodabout, Quest (aka Philadelphia's Ahmir Thompson) dives head first into the topics that get chefs talking: What is creativity? How are art and food related? What does the future hold for food and cooking? Questlove sits down with some of the most exceptional chefs in America, including Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Michael Solomonov (Zahav), and Daniel Patterson (Coi). Questlove himself plays an equal part in getting the answers, providing examples and references to his own life as a musician and creator as he talks with food luminaries about the thorny questions surrounding creativity.”--Eater
 
Somethingtofoodabout is really a passion project. For Questlove, it’s not about the food business, but rather the ideas, the concepts, and the imaginations behind the chefs who feed him. There are no recipes and no how-tos. For Questlove, the only how-to you need to know is how to appreciate and understand the taste, the process, and the journey of the idea.”--Vogue
 
“An enjoyable, frequently surprising exploration of creativity.”--Kirkus Reviews

Author

© Gail Ghezzi
Ben Greenman is a contributing writer at The New Yorker. His short fiction has appeared in the Paris Review, Zoetrope: All Story, McSweeney’s, Opium Magazine, the Mississippi Review, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn. View titles by Ben Greenman