I just came back from Jean-Georges Vongerichten new book’s party at the Conran Shop in New York City where I was able to chit-chat a little with my favorite chef. Sadly enough i couln’t extract from him his secrets to create a restaurant empire around the world. Should i have used torture? maybe… But everything was not lost, when i opened the book he handed me it read: “Spice up your life” signed Jean-Georges.

Now could this be divine intervention? Don’t we all need to focus more on the full half of the glass which is creativity and abundance instead of on the empty half, the lack thereof. Spice up your life rhymes with live life to the fullest. Those words resonates with me and i will remember them as a great advice from a great culinary mind.

As you can tell I have great respect for this man who is not only a kitchen adventurer but a pioneer and a visioneer. I have met him a few times over the past few years and always been impressed by his humbleness, a rare trait in Chefs today.

Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges is a handsome book with beautiful pictures and signature recipes developed over years of travelling throughout Asia, including the recipes for Mushroom Spring rolls with galangal emulsion and the Ovaltine Kulfi with caramelized banana i had at Spice Market, both incredible!

I can tell just from the precision of the recipes that this book will not disappoint. I know i will cook from it for weeks to come and i’ll make sure to share my experiments with you. In the meantime, if you are a cookbook buff like i am, don’t hesitate to pick up a copy of this book, it’s a welcome addition to any cookbook collection. Happy Cooking!