JOANNE AND GERRY DRYANSKY

Out in June 2012, COQUILLES, CALVA AND CREME, at Pegasus, New York.

From advance publication readers:

"GYD is the greatest gourmand in American letters today, the most gourmet of inquisitive journalists, the most French of foreign correspondents in Paris. When he recounts his exciting adventures in the Hexagone, we're amused as much as we salivate. Delicious and savory!"-- Gilles Pudlowski, Frances’s foremost food critic.

“Congratulations to Dryansky. It was a great pleasure to read his text, both so well documented and free of polemics.”-- Christian Millau, co-founder of Le Guide GaultMillau, herald and godfather of “La Nouvelle Cuisine” in France.

"I had the incredible good luck to have dozens and dozens of French meals with Gerry and Joanne Dryansky, and he was never wrong. I mean, never. We would travel down some little street, some little restaurant, and then, delight, pure pleasure. I was back years and years to a far more delicious France. And now, he tells all. There's nobody I know, in Paris or in New York, who understands French food the way Gerry does. And surely nobody who writes about it as well as he does." —Alan Furst, bestselling author of the forthcoming "Mission to Paris".

“French food and travel with a dash of history—what a treat it is to sit at the table with this smart, engaging writer. A delicious read from start to finish”. —Barbara Fairchild, bestselling food author. longtime editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit, winner of the James Beard Award.

Has France lost its culinary edge? After decades living and chronicling the good life in Paris and overseas, Gerry and Joanne Dryansky lead us to unsung chefs still championing the country's gourmand heritage. -- Gael Greene, bestselling author of Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess.

Coquilles, Calva, and Crème vividly brings back my years of working in Paris in the 1950s. When I contemplate my cooking journey of the last half century, from classic to nouvelle, from fusion to modern American to molecular, the only reminiscences I have is of food that touches my soul or makes me salivate. Gerry Dryansky writes honestly and eloquently about these simple, honest, essential dishes in his engaging, compelling, and delicious memoir”-- Jacques Pépin, celebrity TV chef, winner of the James Beard Award.

"Gerry and Joanne Dryansky's book is a lovely ramble through a lifetime of experiences in France's high spots and some low ones too. Reading it brings as many delights as a marvelous long meal."-- Patricia Wells, celebrated food author, winner of the James Beard Award.

“Tuck this delicious tome in your hamper between Proust’s madeleines and the champagne—then feast your soul. The Dryanskys remind us that in France – at least sometimes and in some places – authenticity still rhymes with simplicity, and great writing makes a fine relish.—David Downie, author of ‘Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light,’ and the ‘Terroir’ food book series.

Part memoir, part travelogue, Coquilles, Calva & Crème is a hymn to French food and wine and the joy of wining and dining in France with "convivialité" - which for the French is key. Dryansky has many a story to tell about the past (lunching with the likes of Coco and Yves) but in this present tour de France, he greets each dining experience, each new chef, each new winemaker, and each new region, from Alsace to Le Massif Central, with genuine curiosity, an open mind, and a discerning first rate palate. This entertaining, erudite, and elegant book is a must for Francophiles and food lovers everywhere.
--Harriet Welty Rochefort, bestselling author of "French Toast" , "French Fried" and the forthcoming “Joie de Vivre.”

"Reading with this book is like lunching with Gerry Dryansky: from coquilles to Calva, with crème in between, it is seasoned with wit and charm. Rich with food-lover wisdom, it captures what France does best." --Mort Rosenblum, editor of Dispatches, winner of the Overseas Press Club, Mencken, Harry Chapin and James Beard Awards.

"A delicious and delightful read, especially for those who think they might know this country. When you sit down to a meal with Dryansky, you taste the very soul of France."
--Eleanor Beardsley, France Correspondent, National Public Radio.