a book
Ma Gastronomie
Fernand Point · 1969 · 191 pages
Since its first publication in France in 1969, Fernand Point's "Ma Gastronomie" has taken its place among the true classics of French gastronomy, alongside works of Careme, Lucien Tendret, and Escoffier. This essential volume is as celebrated for Point's wise, witty, and provocative views on food as for his remarkable, inventive recipes-over 200 of them-carefully compiled from his handwritten notes. An undisputed creative genius of French gastronomy and founder of the legendary La Pyramide restaurant, halfway between Paris and the Riviera, Fernand Point revolutionized French cuisine - purified it, simplified it - building on its traditions and creating his own versions of the great classical dishes.His peers called him Le Roi and during his reign over French cuisine there were few important world celebrities and no serious gourmet who didn't make the journey to dine at La Pyramide. His celebrated disciples, Paul Bocuse, Alain Chapel, and Jean and Pierre Troisgros, are among the world's greatest French chefs, and his devotees include internationally acclaimed chefs Thomas Keller and Charlie Trotter. As one of his three-star disciples, Francois Bise, said, 'Point was an artist. It's difficult to say enough about him'. In that spirit, it is not unfounded to assert that no cookbook collection is truly complete without a copy of "Ma Gastronomie".
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Thomas Keller
“I cite this book as the cookbook that most influenced me as a young cook. First published in the United States in 1974, but long out of print, Fernand Point’s page-turner cookbook was republished in 2008, and I was honored to contribute a foreword to that edition. The book is half recipes, half stories, and the stories about Point himself are remarkable and beautifully told. I recall the day I learned about this book very clearly. I was working at the Dunes Club in Narragansett, Rhode Island when my mentor Roland Henin loaned me his copy. He said it was a special book—his favorite. I found it extraordinary. I took it everywhere with me for two years throughout France and read it whenever I had a moment to spare.”↗