PROVENCE, 1970 M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste

Narrator John Rubinstein celebrates this "epiphany of taste" with his cogent and insightful performance. The historic convergence of four culinary pioneers in Provence in 1970 marked an impromptu culinary summit and the fledgling revolution of American cuisine. Rubinstein exudes wonder for the nascent food culture that transformed the way we experience restaurant and home cooking today. He provides precise French pronunciations for settings, recipes, and ingredients. Author Barr is food writer M.F.K. Fisher's great-nephew, a status that gained him access to telling journals, letters, and conversations between the gastronomic luminaries who came together during that holiday season. While the book's nonlinear structure becomes a bit confusing in audio as it jumps between time periods and personalities, Rubinstein's expressive descriptions of food and France are enchanting. A.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2013]