I had the privilege of meeting chef Daniel de la Falaise several years ago and recounted the week for New York Social Diary. Daniel approaches cooking as a sensual task and a celebration of quality products involving as little interference as possible. His recent book NATURE’S LARDER (Rizzoli) puts forth a thoughtful, deep-rooted way of cooking that reconnects us with the land.
His compass point: the taste of raw ingredients just plucked from the soil. His way of cooking—which places vegetables at the forefront, but is not vegetarian—centers on coaxing the most flavor from each ingredient as it reaches its peak freshness. This book takes the home cook on "a balloon ride through the seasons," along the way divulging Falaise’s clever techniques, such as using residual heat to cook gently, extracting essences with broths, and adding herbs both in cooking and finishing for a layered effect.
Daniel de la Falaise trained as a chef at Harry’s Bar in London, later opening George Club in London's Mayfair with his great uncle Mark Birley, "The King of Clubs." Today, he works as a private chef, growing many of his ingredients on his farm in southwest France. He has been the food columnist for French Vogue and been profiled in T The New York Times Style Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Town & Country.
Author Photo by Max Vadukul