Quotes by Julia Child, Gordon Ramsay, April Bloomfield, and many more—for chefs, foodies, or anyone who’s ever resolved a crisis by adding more butter.

“Clean plates don’t lie.” —Dan Barber

Great chefs are not self-effacing or meek—there’s no room for indecision in the professional kitchen, where the slightest stumble can send an entire restaurant into the weeds. So it follows that even in quieter moments, what chefs have to say is usually opinionated and always illuminating.

The Chef Says invites readers to the ultimate food-lover’s dinner party, where cooks from ancient Greece rub shoulders and talk shop with today’s rising stars. These unruly culinarians compliment, compete, and disagree with one another as they discuss childhood and training, taste preferences and trends, the quest for perfection, and the grueling but exhilarating business of opening a restaurant. The Chef Says will captivate anyone who has ever worked in a kitchen, been inspired by a flawlessly ripe tomato, or resolved a crisis by adding more butter.

“Will surely tickle the taste buds of any inquisitive food lover.” —Wallpaper*