Street Eats

With stunning photography by renowned food photographer Battman and a foreword by Jean-Georges Vongerichten: Street food changed my life. I remember the moment like it was yesterday: I had arrived in Thailand for the first time as a twenty-three year old chef. On the drive from the airport to the hotel, I stopped seven times to see and taste the amazing food sold right on the side of the road: Crisp and melting pork satay with fiery peanut sauce and fresh coriander; a baby pineapple carved into a spiral on a stick and served with chile sugar; eleven curries in bubbling pots, each one completely different and each wonderfully complex, vibrant, and fresh; roasted young coconuts cracked open to expose their caramelized elixir of unbelievably delicate yet rich and velvety juice. I loved the magic of small plastic bags twisted into perfect balloons filled with a kaleidoscope of coconut milk, fruits, and crunchy water chestnuts coated in chewy tapioca. All I could think was, Wow! I have just entered the most amazing world of unimaginable flavors and techniques. That day, I vowed to somehow, someday incorporate those flavors and textures into my own classically trained French cooking...