Cookbook Profile: Hawaii Cooks

Hawaii Cooks
Flavors from Roy's Pacific Rim Kitchen

by Roy Yamaguchi

"For me, eating and cooking are essentially the same: I like to cook what I eat and I like to eat what I cook. Mood is a factor in what I put together, but underlying it all is a Hawaii state of mind, a bond with those childhood food experiences that has evolved into a Hawaiian fusion cuisine. My cooking encompasses my Asian background and my Western training as a chef, embracing a wide range of ingredients and cooking techniques from Europe, America, Asia, and beyond. It is a bold and flavorful style that takes advantage of the freshest and best products available in Hawaii and elsewhere."
—from the Introduction

Hawaii
For five seasons, Roy Yamaguchi has explored the ingredients and growers of Hawaii on his public television show, Hawaii Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi. Now, in a companion volume to the sixth season, he brings his rich culinary discoveries to home kitchens. In Hawaii Cooks, Roy introduces a comprehensive pantry that describes his favorite ingredients in detail and carefully explains how flavors, textures, and colors play off and complement each other on the plate. As a classically trained chef, Roy combines fresh, Hawaiian-grown ingredients with French cooking techniques to produce a mouthwatering collection of recipes with eastern and western influences. Recipes such as Crab and Taro Cakes with Béarnaise Sauce, Lamb Steaks with Sweet Potato Mash and Apple-Curry Sauce, and Crab with Vanilla Sauce pack an unexpected punch in every delicious bite, bringing out the flavors of ingredients in ways that only Roy can.

* The companion book to Roy Yamaguchi's sixth season of Hawaii Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi, broadcast on public television.

* Includes an in-depth pantry section that comprises nearly a quarter of the book, a detailed description of Roy's cooking style, and 60 of Roy's signature recipes.

* Features full-color ingredient and styled food photography.

* Roy received the 1993 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest.

Chef and restaurateur Roy Yamaguchi has become synonymous with Hawaii's revitalized regional cuisine. Although American by birth, Yamaguchi grew up in Japan, returned to the States to study at the Culinary Institute of America, and then headed west to work at L'Escoffier, L'Ermitage, and Michael's in Los Angeles. He opened 385 North in Los Angeles before moving to Hawaii. Today, Roy still picks up awards as fast as seashells, amassing just about every culinary accolade imaginable.

Buy the Book!

Hawaii Cooks
Flavors from Roy's Pacific Rim Kitchen
by Roy Yamaguchi
with food writer Joan Namkoonk
Ten Speed Press
Hardcover, 176 pages
Price: $32.50 (CAN $50.00)
ISBN: 1-58008-454-0
Information provided by the publisher.