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Danbury News-Times review on Ici La Press
Chef's Husband Turns to Publishing
by Barbara Coles © The News-Times
Bernard Jarrier was chatting with one of the regulars at his wife's restaurant, Carole Peck's Good News Cafe in Woodbury, Conn., when he and the customer came up with an idea. Why not translate distinguished European food-related books into English and publish them for Americans?
So that's what Jarrier and Dennis Pistone, owner of Westchester Book Composition in Danbury, did. Their new company, Ici La Press, is based in Woodbury, and the books are published in Danbury.
"The influence of European cuisine is huge in this country," declared Jarrier, a native of Paris, France. "Great chef/authors from Europe are at the forefront of taste. And their books were not available here, not in English."
Three years ago the two partners started by publishing The Flavors of Sicily by Anna Tasca Lanza. They now have 10 titles available, and by May (2003) there will be 13.
The books are all top-notch, with beautiful full-color photographs or fascinating illustrations and dozens of recipes. Each recipe is presented with standard American kitchen measurements as well as metric equivalents. Professional translators render the language into words Americans will readily understand.
One of the books, Essential Cuisine by Michel Bras, recently won the Prix La Mazille in France for "Best French Cookbook of 2002." Bras is a three-star Michelin chef and owner of an acclaimed restaurant and inn located in the Aubrac region of southwestern France, near the town of Laguiole.
"His restaurant's in the boondocks," Jarrier remarked, rolling over the word "boondocks" in the most delicious way. Bras' 272-page book features more than 80 of his best-loved recipes, spanning soups, appetizers, vegetables, fish and meat entrees, and desserts.
Marvelous Recipes from the French Heartland by Regis Marcon, which won the 2001 Prix La Mazille, is also among Ici's available titles. Another book from the local publishing company, The Notebooks of Michel Bras: Desserts, was the first of Bras' acclaimed notebooks to be published in English. "See the delightful illustrations," mentioned Jarrier as he leafed through the coveted cookbook.
One of Ici's most fascinating releases, at least to me, is the reissuing of a cookbook that has been out of print for years. The book is not of European origin, but it sure is special.
It's The Buffet Book, written by Carole Peck with Carolyn Hart Bryant. It's Peck's only cookbook, updated from its first publication. Buffet is a 298-page cookbook, chock-a-block with entertaining menus and tips, including a special section on springtime suggestions.
According to the book jacket, "Stunning photographs showcase inspired ideas for buffet table designs and locations: an all-through-the-house party in a charming farmhouse; a picnic buffet in a flower garden; a glittering champagne dinner in a formal dining room."
"Carole Peck's food translates perfectly for party fare; it's highly flavored, easy to make, easy to serve, and always good-looking," says Mark Bittman, himself author of several cookbooks and a frequent chef/teacher at The Silo cooking classes in New Milford.
To obtain rights to the foreign cookbooks published by Ici La Press, Jarrier and Peck travel often to Europe. "I take my chef with me whenever I travel," joked Jarrier.
"Scheduled for spring release is Chicken, Chicken, Chicken by Laurence and Gilles Laurendon, which Ici's press release describes as "a whimsical gourmand and literary appreciation of the ubiquitous fowl both in historical perspective and on the dinner table." More than 70 chicken and egg recipes are featured in the book, which retails at $38.
Also slated for release is Spoon Food & Wine, a 250-recipe cookbook by Michelin six-star chef Alain Ducasse showcasing foods from his Spoon restaurants in London, Paris, Tokyo, Saint Tropez and Mauritius. The list price is $40. The Spoon recipes reflect a fusion of classic French technique with influences from the Mediterranean, the Americas and West Indies, and Asia.
The third release this spring is The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, featuring cuisine from the island of Crete, at a retail price of $38.
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