As part of Queer Eye's Fab Five, Antoni Porowski's contributions to each person's life as profiled on the show are full of feeling and cooking tips. His personal philosophy is that food should tell a story, and that the heart and the stomach are interconnected. Demonstrated thoroughly in his candidness and vulnerability onscreen, this viewpoint is also reflected in his first cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen, as he shares how his friends and family have influenced his cooking.
Growing up in Montreal, his evenings and weekends were filled with his family's Polish dishes, while his days at a French school introduced him to the multiethnic lunches brought by his multicultural friends. Whether it's his friend Reema's snack suggestion of Masala Nuts, or Polish Caramel Easter Squares decorated the traditional way with hazelnuts, dried apricots and sliced almonds, Antoni's cookbook explores the world and combines his love of food with his respect for the cultural influences of his family and friends.
More than 100 recipes brim with colors and flavors, providing a mostly healthy selection of dishes for date nights, dinner parties and weeknight suppers. This world café cookbook for the CSA box offers a quick description of the recipes to choose from: radishes in pink-peppercorn-and-chive butter; farrow bowl with sweet potatoes, arugula and chicken; chilled beet soup with pickles and dill; and salty lemon squares. Beautifully arranged, full-color photographs of food, candid and posed photographs and his own personal cooking tips, tricks and influences make this cookbook truly Antoni. -- BrocheAroe Fabian, owner, River Dog Book Co., Beaver Dam, Wis.