Hasta La Ideas

A lesson on 100 of the most adept contemporary chefs from around the world and the food they prepare, Phaidon’s new book “Coco:10 World Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs” assembles an in-depth list of who’s who, affirmed by 10 renowned culinary luminaries such as Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adrià, Gordon Ramsay and Mario Batali.

Beginning with chef Hugh Acheson of Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia and ending with Eric Ziebold of CityZen in Washington D.C., the alphabetically organized, comprehensive survey includes talents from Oman to Norway, spanning a broad range of styles and specialties.

Pictures of the chefs sourcing ingredients at local markets, at work in the kitchen and the resulting dishes they’ve envisioned, pack the book clearly illustrating their labor-intensive commitment and its beautiful outcome. (Jakob Mielcke and the team at Mielcke & Hurtigkarl pictured above.)

Each four-page spread devoted to each chef includes detailed recipes, offering insight to the complexities of their signature dishes and allowing budding chefs to have their hand at recreating the enticing menus. Chef Pascal Barbot (pictured above right) offers up his instructions for a nage (aromatic bouillon) of Norwegian lobsters, while Kevin Davis (above left) provides his formula for caviar pie (pictured below).

Without overshadowing the sheer aptitude of the contemporary chefs, the leading masters recount their first-hand experiences cooking with each one and extend their reasoning for selecting the culinary artists for the book.

Over 430 pages long and full of fruitful information, Coco makes an ideal book for any chef or person who enjoys the fine art of cooking. The book is out now and available from Phaidon or Amazon.