"It is one of the few books that I have seen for some time that makes me want to get in the kitchen. I especially like the menus, and how and why Paul Bertolli makes them as he does. I also like his artful use of information about how to cook ... the section called 'Boiling-Water Bath' is a little masterpiece. And so are every one of the deviations from straight recipes. In other words, the book is the kind that could quickly become essential. It is written with great authority and yet with a touch that is both light and realistic. I wish I'd done it myself."
– M. F. K. Fisher
"The recipes in this book ... are magnificently toothsome and smack invitingly of California at its best."
– Craig Clairborne
"What a wonderful book ... full of country wisdom, market savy and a real passion for savory eating."
Gael Greene
Paul Bertolli's cuisine is what 'health food' should be and never is: a celebration of purity. The food is imaginative but never complicated; it is art."
– Richard Olney
