Cooked or Eating up the Santa Fe Trail

Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras

Author: Jeff Henderson

Jeff Henderson was just another inner-city black kid born into a world of poverty and limited options, where crime seemed to provide the only way to get out. Raised mostly by his single mother, who struggled just to keep food on the table, Jeff dreamed big. He had to get out and he soon did by turning to what so many in his community did: dealing drugs. But Jeff was no ordinary drug dealer; by twenty-one, he was one of the top cocaine dealers in San Diego, making up to $35,000 a week. Two years later he was indicted on federal drug trafficking charges and sentenced to almost twenty years in prison. Before he knew what had hit him, he was looking at spending most of his life behind bars. The street life had been the only one he'd ever known and even incarcerated he was too hardheaded to realize that no good would come of it.

That is, until he was assigned to one of the least desirable prison jobs: washing dishes. That job helped turn his whole life around. It gave him access to the prison kitchen and he became fascinated watching his fellow prisoners cook for the thousands of other inmates and prison officials. Henderson learned to cook in prison. Not cocaine, but food. And his dream was born: Once outside, he would become a chef.

It was a tough, seemingly impossible journey for an ex-con. Few chefs would give him the opportunity to cook in their restaurants. And once hired, he endured racism and sabotage in the kitchen. But Henderson refused to accept rejection. Driven by a dream and an unshakable will to succeed, Chef Jeff worked hard to overcome unimaginable adversity and eventually reached the top of his profession, becoming executive chef at Cafй Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Alive with the energy of the streets, the sober reality of prison, and the visceral thrill of being inside the fast-paced kitchens of great restaurants, Cooked is an intense, intimate tale of crime, punishment, and redemption -- a deeply poignant story of how the worst wrong can lead to the most extraordinary right.

Book about: Pressured Parents Stressed out Kids or Exercises for Arthritis

Eating up the Santa Fe Trail, Vol. 2

Author: Arnold

: A delightfully entertaining and informative book, Eating Up the Santa Fe Trail is filled with rare information painstakingly culled from thousands of sources, including the diaries and journals of many who rode the trail. Eating Up the Santa Fe Trail contains recipes of trappers, traders, settlers, various Indian tribes, Mexicans, and military soldiers. From Missouri, across Kansas to Bent's Fort, Colorado, and on to Santa Fe, New Mexico, learn in the words of the travelers themselves how to prepare such trail fare as buffalo, elk, crane, Indian "washtunkala" (jerked meat stew), and "belly washes," such as Injun Whiskey (made with black gunpowder, red pepper, and tobacco juice). Eating Up the Santa Fe Trail is filled with the delicacies and oddities of the Old West and is a must for the professional chef, historian, buckskinner, and gastronome.

Booknews

Food historian and restaurateur Arnold culled diaries, journals, and other sources to collect recipes of trappers, traders, settlers, various Indian tribes, Mexicans, and soldiers. He presents them here in two ways--the original narrative directions alongside modern adaptations with measurements--along with historical anecdotes and explanation, the sources of the recipes, and selected further readings. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Internet Book Watch

Eating Up The Santa Fe Trail: Recipes And Lore From The Old West combines authentic recipes used by trappers, traders, settlers, Native American tribes, Mexicans, and frontier soldiers with anecdotes and stories drawn from the American West. This superb compilation of western history and recipes were gathered together by food historian Sam Arnold and ranges in origin and background from Missouri, across Kansas, to Bent's Fort, Colorado, and on to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Here are step-by-step instructions on preparing a wide variety of trail fare including buffalo, elk, carne, washtunkala (jerked meat stew); and traditional eggnog — the drink of choice after a hanging! Eating Up The Santa Fe Trail is a unique addition to any cookbook collection and will have a special appeal for students and enthusiasts of the America West.