Kitchen Work

Perhaps you already kicked off the holiday season with an impressive Halloween yard display. Others of you may consider Thanksgiving the traditional start to a seemingly never-ending buffet of open houses and cocktail parties. With that in mind, I humbly submit a little literary hors d'oeuvre: the Fall 2017 edition of Kitchen Work, a new, print-only quarterly journal focusing on what and how we eat and drink.                                                                                                             

Dedicated to exploring the various nooks and crannies of kitchens big and small, Kitchen Work is the brainchild of Michael Strauss, owner of the Heirloom Cafe in San-Francisco.

The journal accepts submissions from "anyone and everyone," with the caveat that the stories focus on some aspect of eating or drinking. The latest issue's theme is how automation influences--for better or worse--how we cook and how we eat. Contributors include New York Times writer Daniel Duane's musings on ambitous Christmas cookbooks, Nebraska-based chef Nick Strawhecker's post-9/11 Thanksgiving meal in Cortona, Italy, legendary wine merchant Neil Rosenthal's account of his relationship with an eccentric French winemaker, and even a solder's return to Vietnam, this time on a culinary expedition.

The 90-page volume is a charming, frothy delight, begging to be read while standing anxiously in the kitchen this Thanksgiving wondering if you've overcooked your holiday bird. Sheathed in cherry-red wrappers, Kitchen Work would also make a lovely holiday present for the bookish gastronome in your life. At twelve dollars apiece, you may even be tempted to give one to yourself.