 Alton Brown's flair in the kitchen developed early with
guidance from his mother and grandmother, a budding culinary talent he
skillfully used later "as a way to get dates" in college. Switching gears as an
adult, Alton spent a decade working as a cinematographer and video director, but
realized that he spent all his time between shoots watching cooking shows which
he found to be dull and uninformative. Convinced that he could do better, Alton
left the film business and moved to Vermont to train at the New England Culinary
Institute in Montpelier, Vt. Soon after, Alton tapped all of his training to
create Good Eats, a smart and entertaining food show that blends wit with
wisdom, history with pop culture and science with common cooking sense. Alton
not only writes and produces the shows but also stars in each offbeat episode on
Food Network.
Alton Brown's first book, I'm Just Here for the Food (Stewart, Tabori & Chang,
2002) won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Cookbook in the Reference
category, was one of the bestselling cookbooks of 2002 and has sold over 300,000
copies to date. It was also chosen by Amazon.com as one of the top 50 books of
2002 by both editors and readers.
Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen, his long-awaited homage to tools and
gadgetry, was published by STC in September 2003 and was nominated for both a
James Beard Award for Best Cookbook in the Tools & Techniques category and an
IACP Cookbook Award in the Food Reference/Technical category. Gear is an
essential guide to all the "hardware" you need in the kitchen. Packed with
practical advice and tips, this book takes a look at what's needed and what
isn't, what works and what doesn't.
Alton's third book, on baking, I'm Just Here for More Food, hit bookstores in
November 2004 and has since gone on to become a New York Times bestseller.
Alton's newest series, Feasting On Asphalt, features Alton with only his
motorcycle, a few buddies and the clothes on his back, taking a nostalgic trip
across the country to rediscover the disappearing people, places and stories of
great American road food. Feasting On Asphalt merges a little Easy Rider with
good eats and great tales from our road food's past and present, while
preserving the map for its future.
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