An ex-yacht chef uncovers the dark reality of life at sea. By the age of twenty-two, Melanie is ticking life's boxes as if filling in a routine survey. Good grades at school? Check. Reliable university degree? Check. Steady graduate job? Check. Her two feet are planted firmly on solid ground; her life to date perfectly mirrors society's expectations. That is until she finds herself plunged into the superyacht industry, like an ice cube thrown into a cut crystal glass of the finest whisky, having stepped foot on a boat just three times before. Not only is she required to learn how to run, sail, and race a multi-million-pound yacht on the job, she is forced to adapt to a wholly unnatural life afloat, largely confined to a bunk bed, crammed galley, and live-in colleagues. Oh, and to devise, develop, and deliver fine dining menus for some of the wealthiest people on the planet. No biggie. From the Mediterranean to the Caribbean to the Arctic she cruises, visiting places many can only dream of, orienting herself in an environment few have the opportunity to observe. But while her culinary knowledge evolves and her on-board responsibilities grow, the world as she knows it begins to close in. The depth of the ocean no longer phases her; it's the darkness inside which she fears. Behind Ocean Lines is a deeply personal account of a deterioration in mental health against a backdrop of opulence. It is, shockingly, not an anomaly in the industry. It is about time the public is told.

Any event you plan and stage is a reflection of your organization's image - from the initial invitation to onsite operations. Whether you're planning a product launch, conference, sales meeting, an incentive event, or a gala fund-raiser, remember that the magic of a truly memorable event is in the details, but so is the devil. Whether your event is for 50 or 2,000 people, whether it has a budget of a few thousand dollars, or hundreds of thousands, it has to be perfect. Fully revised and updated, Event Planning, Second Edition, gives you a blueprint for planning and executing special events with flair and without any unexpected surprises and expenses. This unique book is loaded with practical advice on: * Choosing the best venue * Preparing and managing the budget, with sample costing forms included * Scheduling, staffing, and collaborating with other related professionals * Coordinating food and beverage, d cor, entertainment, and themes. It's still the comprehensive guide that it always has been, but much has changed in the industry in recent years, and this new edition of Event Planning includes: * Changes in security planning since 9/11 * Innovations in technology and how they can improve - or ruin - an event * How to stage an environmentally friendly event * New and updated examples and case studies of where things went right - and wrong * Event Risk Assessment - What You Need to Consider before Contracting * How keep your budget on target and where to find hidden surcharges * Ways on how to ease airport stress and make air travel a pleasurable part of the participant's event experience * When and When Event Planners and their Suppliers will need Work Visas * What you need to include in your client's event history in order to design your next event so that it maximizes your client's return on their event investment * A companion website with downloadable versions of the checklists, additional forms and tools

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What should we have for dinner?" To one degree or another this simple question assails any creature faced with a wide choice of things to eat. Anthropologists call it the omnivore's dilemma. Choosing from among the countless potential foods nature offers, humans have had to learn what is safe, and what isn't--which mushrooms should be avoided, for example, and which berries we can enjoy. Today, as America confronts what can only be described as a national eating disorder, the omnivore's dilemma has returned with an atavistic vengeance. The cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet has thrown us back on a bewildering landscape where we once again have to worry about which of those tasty-looking morsels might kill us. At the same time we're realizing that our food choices also have profound implications for the health of our environment. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is bestselling author Michael Pollan's brilliant and eye-opening exploration of these little-known but vitally important dimensions of eating in America.
Pollan has divided "The Omnivore's Dilemma" into three parts, one for each of the food chains that sustain us: industrialized food, alternative or "organic" food, and food people obtain by dint of their own hunting, gathering, or gardening. Pollan follows each food chain literally from the ground up to the table, emphasizing our dynamic coevolutionary relationship with the species we depend on. He concludes each section by sitting down to a meal--at McDonald's, at home with his family sharing a dinner from Whole Foods, and in a revolutionary "beyond organic" farm in Virginia. For each meal he traces the provenance of everything consumed, revealing the hidden components we unwittingly ingest and explaining how our taste for particular foods reflects our environmental and biological inheritance.
We are indeed what we eat-and what we eat remakes the world. A society of voracious and increasingly confused omnivores, we are just beginning to recognize the profound consequences of the simplest everyday food choices, both for ourselves and for the natural world. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is a long-overdue book and one that will become known for bringing a completely fresh perspective to a question as ordinary and yet momentous as What shall we have for dinner?

A few facts and figures from "The Omnivore's Dilemma" Of the 38 ingredients it takes to make a McNugget, there are at least 13 that are derived from corn. 45 different menu items at Mcdonald's are made from corn.One in every three American children eats fast food every day.One in every five American meals today is eaten in the car.The food industry burns nearly a fifth of all the petroleum consumed in the United States--more than we burn with our cars and more than any other industry consumes.It takes ten calories of fossil fuel energy to deliver one calorie of food energy to an American plate.A single strawberry contains about five calories. To get that strawberry from a field in California to a plate on the east coast requires 435 calories of energy.Industrial fertilizer and industrial pesticides both owe their existence to the conversion of the World War II munitions industry to civilian uses--nerve gases became pesticides, and ammonium nitrate explosives became nitrogen fertilizers. ...

Curl up with the perfect cosy, comforting Christmas romance.When Beth Brown loses her job and her boyfriend in the space of twenty-four hours, she thinks life can't get any worse. That's until she finds herself in the depths of the English countryside working for chef, Rocco di Castri. Not only does she have to deal with his legendary moods, but she's also expected to get his chaotic schedule and workload in check, all while she's nursing a broken heart. It's not long before Rocco's idyllic home starts to work its magic and soon she sees a softer side to her boss too. And as the festive season approaches, Beth dares to look forward to everything the perfect country Christmas has to offer - and perhaps some romance of her own. Until news of an unexpected proposal threatens to put pay to all Beth's plans. Will Beth get her happily-ever-after? Maybe, this Christmas... A festive gem from Jill Steeples, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain and Julie Houston. Please note this title was previously published as Christmas at Whitefriars. What readers say about Jill Steeples: 'I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the very first page to the very last. A really great winter read, warm and cosy throughout. A very easy to rate 5 stars.' 'A brilliant story with all the right ingredients. Love laughter tears and smiles.' 'A feel-good story full of laughs, romance and caring with a few surprises along the way. This book is just what you need when the sun is shining on a chilly spring day.' 'Jill Steeples writing has a nice fast pace and a great easy flow. I love the feelgood factor of her stories. They always manage to put a big smile on my face.'

Take a breath.... Read "slow"ly.

How often in the course and crush of our daily lives do we afford ourselves moments to truly relish-to truly be present in-the act of preparing and eating food? For most of us, our enjoyment of food has fallen victim to the frenetic pace of our lives and to our increasing estrangement, in a complex commercial economy, from the natural processes by which food is grown and produced. Packaged, artificial, and unhealthful, fast food is only the most dramatic example of the degradation of food in our lives, and of the deeper threats to our cultural, political, and environmental well-being.

In 1986, Carlo Petrini decided to resist the steady march of fast food and all that it represents when he organized a protest against the building of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Armed with bowls of penne, Petrini and his supporters spawned a phenomenon. Three years later Petrini founded the International Slow Food Movement, renouncing not only fast food but also the overall pace of the "fast life." Issuing a manifesto, the Movement called for the safeguarding of local economies, the preservation of indigenous gastronomic traditions, and the creation of a new kind of ecologically aware consumerism committed to sustainability. On a practical level, it advocates a return to traditional recipes, locally grown foods and wines, and eating as a social event. Today, with a magazine, Web site, and over 75,000 followers organized into local "convivia," or chapters, Slow Food is poised to revolutionize the way Americans shop for groceries, prepare and consume their meals, and think about food.

"Slow Food" not only recalls the origins, first steps, and international expansion of the movement from the perspective of its founder, it is also a powerful expression of the organization's goal of engendering social reform through the transformation of our attitudes about food and eating. As "Newsweek" described it, the Slow Food movement has now become the basis for an alternative to the American rat race, the inspiration for "a kinder and gentler capitalism."

Linger a while then, with the story of what Alice Waters in her Foreword calls "this Delicious Revolution," and rediscover the pleasures of the good life.

This work presents a fantastic collection of sizzling recipes for grilling, griddling and barbecueing - how to prepare, cook and serve over 180 surefire recipes for perfect outdoor or indoor entertaining. Make the most of the versatility of the barbecue, from quickly-seared skewered prawns, a gently-marinated herby leg of lamb, a classic barbecued roast beef, or an aubergine and butternut salad with crumbled feta. Add zest to your grilling with all kinds of tasty dressings, salsas and sauces, marinades and relishes - try chilli and raspberry dip, fresh mint chutney, hot cashew nut sambal, or spicy Cuban mojo sauce. It provides practical guidance on choosing and setting up a barbecue, grill or griddle, and expert advice on fuels, lighting a fire and safety, and cooking times and testing. A barbecue is more than a meal, it is an event, with aromatic, gently-smoking or hot-seared coals providing the perfect platform for a memorable lunchtime or evening gathering of family and friends. It conjures up heavenly-herbed or sizzlingly spiced tastes and textures wafting across the garden or patio.Everything you need to know about the practicalities of barbecuing is contained here, including how to choose a barbecue, hibachi or grill and all the related cooking accessories and utensils. There is detailed guidance on how to use your grill and grilling equipment safely and for maximum results, and where best to site it, along with fuel and fire tips and at-a-glance timing guides. Each recipe is accompanied by illustrated step-by-step instructions and more than 750 colour photographs to ensure that barbecueing has never been easier. With something for everyone who loves to grill, this is the indispensable one-stop barbecue cookbook.

In Snow Food, chef and skier, Lindor Wink, shares 70 of his favourite winter dishes. Inspired from the heart of snowy alpine winters, Lindor's recipes are simple and easy for anyone to follow. These are winter warmers that are perfect to share with family and friends, or just for a cosy night in front of the fire. From nut loaves and crispbreads, to winter soups and salads, to hearty roasts and pasta plates, Snow Food/i>'s extensive range of dishes will please from morning to night. Take the chill off this winter and enjoy a meal by someone who knows how to make winter delicious.

The debut cookbook from the restaurant Gourmet magazine named the best in the country.
A pioneer in American cuisine, chef Grant Achatz represents the best of the molecular gastronomy movement--brilliant fundamentals and exquisite taste paired with a groundbreaking approach to new techniques and equipment. ALINEA showcases Achatz's cuisine with more than 100 dishes (totaling 600 recipes) and 600 photographs presented in a deluxe volume. Three feature pieces frame the book: Michael Ruhlman considers Alinea's role in the global dining scene, Jeffrey Steingarten offers his distinctive take on dining at the restaurant, and Mark McClusky explores the role of technology in the Alinea kitchen. Buyers of the book will receive access to a website featuring video demonstrations, interviews, and an online forum that allows readers to interact with Achatz and his team.
"Achatz is something new on the national culinary landscape: a chef as ambitious as Thomas Keller who wants to make his mark not with perfection but with constant innovation . . . Get close enough to sit down and allow yourself to be teased, challenged, and coddled by Achatz's version of this kind of cooking, and you can have one of the most enjoyable culinary adventures of your life." --Corby Kummer, senior editor of Atlantic Monthly
"Someone new has entered the arena. His name is Grant Achatz, and he is redefining the American restaurant once again for an entirely new generation . . . Alinea is in perpetual motion; having eaten here once, you can't wait to come back, to see what Achatz will come up with next." --GourmetReviews & AwardsJames Beard Foundation Cookbook Award Finalist: Cooking from a professional Point of View Category James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef Award "Even if your kitchen isn't equipped with a paint-stripping heat gun, thermocirculator, or refractometer, and you're only vaguely aware that chefs use siphons and foams in contemporary cooking, you can enjoy this daring cookbook from Grant Achatz of the Chicago restaurant Alinea.. . . While the recipes can hardly become part of your everday cooking, this book is far too interesting to be left on the coffee table. As you read, a question emerges: Is Alinea's food art? . . . I go a little further, describing Achatz with a word that he would probably never use to describe himself: avant-garde, as it defined art movements at the beginning of the last century--planned, self-concious, and structured attempts to provoke and shake the status quo. Just as with those artists, the results are not necessarily as interesting as the intentions and concepts behind them. In this sense, this volume constitutes a full-blown although not threatening manifesto."--Art of Eating