Fried: Surviving Two Centuries in Restaurants

By Steve Lerach
Borealis Books 2008, $22.95 (hardcover)

Lerach has worked in foodservice for more than 30 years, part of that in onsite, including the management of kitchen operations at the University of Minnesota. He now teaches culinary courses at the Art Institutes International Minnesota. This is his first book and in it he revels in his love for the foodservice industry and those in it, past and present.

The book is basically a combination of stories of those Lerach has known and worked with throughout his career, sprinkled with stories of culinary figures from the past.

Most if not all of the stories are compelling, combining humor, tragedy, farce and joy in almost equal measure and painting a portrait of life in the foodservice trenches, now and back then.

Anyone who has worked in the industry for any length of time will appreciate these stories and identify with them. Lerach has a light stylistic touch that offers both while mining their humor and poignancy.

The publisher, Borealis Books, is an imprint of the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

They can be found at www.borealisbooks.org. This book will be available starting September 15, 2008.