David Tanis
Chef Chez Panisse
Recipes from a very small kitchen by a man with a very large talent

It’s entirely possible that David Tanis, executive chef of Chez Panisse in Berkley California, is the son of some God in Roman mythology. How else would explain his incredible life of leading the restaurant at Chez Panisse for 6 months and then living and cooking at his flat in Paris for the next 6 months. Whatever the reason, we are inspired and just a bit jealous.

David’s first book, A Platter of Figs won every accolade imaginable for a wonderful journey of cultures, seasons and meals for sharing. His new book, Heart of the Artichoke and other Kitchen Adventures, is the definitive resource for cooking seasonally and efficiently in a family kitchen. It’s kind of like having the chef from Chez Panisse cooking dinner for your family every evening. Now it’ll be you who has the opportunity to experience some of David’s charmed life.

Heart of the Artichoke — SIGN UP
Friday, November 12
6:00 PM-9:00 PM, $80, Saint Paul

In Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Adventures Chef David Tanis embraces the modern-day mantra “real food in season” by creating twenty stunning menus (five per season) that transport readers far and wide. Please join us as we welcome David Tanis back to Cooks to share his experience and passions about sharing food and being connected to the season and the source. After 25 years of experience in and around the famed Chez Panisse in Berkley California David brings his passion to life in the pages of his book and in the kitchen at Cooks.

Menu: Romaine Hearts with Shaved Parmigiano and Lemon Dressing; Panfried Steak with Steak Sauce; Classic Potato Gratin; Broiled Pineapple with Rum

Nobody better embodies the present-day mantra “Eat real food in season” than David Tanis, one of the most original voices in American cooking. For more than a quarter-century, Tanis has been the chef at the groundbreaking Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California, where the menu consists solely of a single perfect meal that changes each evening. Tanis’s recipes are down-to-earth yet sophisticated, simple to prepare but impressive on the plate.

Tanis opens this soulful, fun-to-read cookbook with his own private food rituals, those treats—jalapeño pancakes, beans on toast, pasta for one—for when you are on your own in the kitchen with no one else to satisfy. Then he follows with twenty incomparable menus (five per season) that serve four to six. Each transports the reader to places far and wide. And for grand occasions, a time for the whole tribe to gather around the table, Tanis delivers festive menus for holiday feasts. So in one book, three kinds of cooking: small, medium, and large.