July 2006

Features

• Reality TV's New Hero

  Bravo's Top Chef put 12 contestants through the food mill to find out which one had what it takes. Here, the last cook standing.

• Shoot First, Eat Later

  Here, a user-friendly guide to taking perfect food photographs, from great cameras to simple techniques (use your water glass as a tripod!)

• France's Best Pistou

  Pistou is Provence's much-loved answer to pesto. Paula Wolfert shares her recipe and ways to use it.

• Green Servings

• Independence Days

  July 4th meets Bastille Day when the very French chef Christophe Emé and his American fiancée, actress Jeri Ryan, celebrate at their house in L.A.

• Interview with Best New Chef Cathal Armstrong

• Interview with Best New Chef Jason Wilson

• Interview with Best New Chef Jonathan Benno

• Interview with Best New Chef Michael Carlson

• Jacques in Mexico

  What does legendary chef Jacques Pépin do when he needs a break? He escapes to the bustling beach town of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to watch the waves, drink chilled rosé and transform the best local ingredients into simple recipes that showcase his elegant French technique.

• 2006 What Chefs Know Best Interviews

  F&W polled 100 chefs from New York to Portland, Oregon, on everything from their favorite pans to cooking with sodium alginate, for the What Chefs Know Best section of our July 2006 issue. Here are
  web-exclusive interviews with 25 of the
  chefs we polled.

• Deconstructing a Wine List

  If ordering wine for a table of friends seems like a daunting responsibility, here's some expert advice—about the no-fail options, the hidden values, the reasonable (and unconscionable) price markups, and more.

• Eastern Europe's Eden

  Romania's Danube Delta may be Europe's next great eco-destination. Gisela Williams checks out the luxurious new Delta Nature Resort.

• Fast Food Redemption

  Chefs are creating virtuous new kinds of hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza using artisanal methods and all-natural ingredients.

• Best of the Best Interviews

  Interviews with top chefs whose recipes are featured in F&W's annual Best of the Best cookbook

• Biodynamics: The Next Trend

• Chef Recipes Made Easy

  Shawn McClain has three Chicago restaurants—Spring, Custom House and Green Zebra—that reveal his awesome versatility and mastery of Asian, American and vegetarian food. Here, F&W streamlines his best dishes so they’re fast and light.

• What Does Eating Well Really Mean?

  For some people, eating well means opting for local ingredients over anything flown in from thousands of miles away; for others, it means eating only unprocessed foods, including lard and raw milk. Here, new ideas from the visionaries helping to frame the increasingly urgent debate.

• Where to Go Next: Provence

• Spa Mastermind

  Susan Harmsworth has redefined the luxury spa for hotels like the Four Seasons and The Peninsula. Here, she talks about why masseuses are like chefs and what it's like to collaborate with Alain Ducasse.

• The Latest Restaurant Dress Codes

  Deciding what to wear to your favorite restaurants can be as much fun as figuring out what to order.

• The State of French Cuisine

  Le Figaro restaurant critic François Simon is shaping the future of French cuisine with his iconoclastic, often provocative opinions.

• The Worldly Vegetarian

  London-based cookbook author Celia Brooks Brown borrows flavors from Thailand, India and Turkey for her elegant meatless dishes.

• Tongue-Tied About the World's Best Wine Values

  Lettie Teague attempts to pronounce words like Xinomavro and Zweigelt as she explores the new vogue for obscure wines and searches for the best (and most underpriced) bottles.

• Melon Granita Trio