A Wall of Inspiration: Cookbooks

Tyler Oaks on the Move: A Wall of Inspiration - Cookbooks
Tyler on the Move
Volume 8
Issue 20
08/26/2008

Recently I was at Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, to attend the opening of an Ira Yeager exhibition. After the reception, I found myself downstairs in the shop, starting at the long wall of cookbooks. I contemplated the beautiful photographs on the covers, the section dedicated to Julia Child, the local foods wheel, book after colorful book filled with meals I then imagined myself cooking. I knew I was in over my head but I couldn’t help ogle a bit, flipping through pages of bouchons au chocolat, fried zucchini blossoms, and garlic sausage in brioche. Cookbooks can be as captivating as novels, an inspiration to the cook in us all.

I suppose it was because I got married so young but when we were newlyweds several women gave me the same advice on the marriage front. More than once when my husband and I went out somewhere a long married woman would begin to talk and pat her husband’s stomach. She would then tell me the same thing: the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. I always glanced at the man’s stomach and then looked away quickly, happy that Joshua and I jogged together and could only spend forty dollars a week on groceries anyway.

Still, the wall of cookbooks at Copia reminded me of that secret dream, the dream of being called a good cook. While yes, I have the basics down, a repertoire of dishes I make well enough not to be shy about I’m still waiting for that breakout moment. It’s the moment where a big group of us is at the table and someone looks up into my eyes and says, “Wow! This is incredible. Now I can die happy.” You know, it could even be a child with a discerning palate; that would completely count.

Back at Copia, my favorite cookbooks are those of local restaurants, favorite to look at that is on that wall of inspiration. With the Napa Valley so abundant in good food, it’s hard not to be spoiled. Looking at the photographs of dishes at The French Laundry, Tra Vigne, and Mustards I’m happily reminded we’re more than just spoiled. Amazing food abounds, and buying local produce doesn’t make it too hard to make dinner taste good. Back at home as I flip through my copy of Thomas Keller’s Bouchon I finally admit to myself that I have no intention of making anything out of it any time soon. I’m really only trying to figure out what I’ll order next time we go Bouchon, and hopefully that will be very soon.