Chronicling a journey of close observation across some of the country's most picturesque states via the medium of 60 entertaining, informative profiles, Mexico: A Culinary Quest captures the essence and spirit of Mexican food history as well as a wide range of contemporary cooking styles. The profiles represent a cross-section of both walks of life and social classes: nuns; grande dames; campesinos; barrio residents; creatives in the arts, architecture, music, film and media; businesspeople - and, of course, great chefs. The lively profile texts are accompanied by specially commissioned photographs of both people and places, focusing the aesthetic interplay of visual and textual narratives. While food is at its heart, the lure of Mexico: A Culinary Quest is not just the featured personalities - their tables, their menus, their local specialities, their kitchens - but the country's magnificent settings and landscape. From Yucatan to Tabasco, from Nueva Leon to Chiapas, from famous watering holes to local holes in the wall, Mexico: A Culinary Quest is a feast for both the eyes and the intellect.