From the reinvention of French food through the fine dining revolution in America, Daniel Boulud has been a witness to and a creator of today's food culture. A modern improviser with a classical foundation (a little rock 'n' roll and a lot of Mozart, he'd say), he speaks with the authority that comes from a lifetime of preparing, presenting, and thinking about food-an ancient calling with universal resonance.

In Letters to a Young Chef, Boulud speaks not only of how to make a career as a chef in today's world, but also of why one should want to do so in the first place. As he himself puts it, it is a tasty life. The love of food and the obsession with flavors, ingredients, and techniques are the chef's source of strength, helping the young chef to survive and flourish during the long years of apprenticeship and their necessary sacrifices. Part memoir, part advice book, part cookbook, part reverie, this delicious new book will delight and enlighten chefs of all kinds, from passionate amateurs to serious professionals.

Daniel Boulud is the world-renowned owner and chef de cuisine of Daniel, Café Boulud, DB Bistro Moderne, and the catering company Feast & Fêtes, all in New York City. After studying with the likes of Georges Blanc, Michel Guérard, and Roger Vergé in France, he emigrated to the U.S., working at Le Cirque before striking out on his own. He is the author of Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook and Cooking with Daniel Boulud. He lives in New York City.