Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This book is rich, part memoir, part cookbook, part travelogue, it is the story of Donia Bijan's journey from emigre to restaurateur, sincere and beautifully written. Her stories are similar to the stories I heard as a student at UCLA from Persian students and their parents who had to start again in a new country. She draws interesting pictures of her family, especially her parents, their marriage and life through good and bad times. Her collection of memories is sad, sweet, tart and as delicious as the mouth-watering recipes she includes. Her training at the Cordon Bleu is a rare look into the school's rigorous (and dangerous) training method in its final year with Madame Brassart, Julia Child's nemesis. This is a story about the things that appeal to all of us, travel, good food and love of family. It is a warm and lovely look at her life, the love she felt for her mother, and her ability to find a way to get what she wants out of life. Maman's Homesick Pie is not to be missed!
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For Donia Bijan's family, food has been the language they use to tell their stories and to communicate their love. In 1978, when the Islamic revolution in Iran threatened their safety, they fled to California's Bay Area, where the familiar flavors of Bijan's mother's cooking formed a bridge to the life they left behind. Now, through the prism of food, award-winning chef Donia Bijan unwinds her own story, finding that at the heart of it all is her mother, whose love and support enabled Bijan to realize her dreams.From the Persian world of her youth to the American life she embraced as a teenager to her years at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (studying under the infamous Madame Brassart) to apprenticeships in France's three-star kitchens and finally back to San Francisco, where she opened her own celebrated bistro, Bijan evokes a vibrant kaleidoscope of cultures and cuisines. And she shares thirty inspired recipes from her childhood (Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant and Orange Cardamom Cookies), her French training (Ratatouille with Black Olives and Fried Bread and Purple Plum Skillet Tart), and her cooking career (Roast Duck Legs with Dates and Warm Lentil Salad and Rose Petal Ice Cream).An exhilarating, heartfelt memoir, Maman's Homesick Pie is also a reminder of the women who encourage us to shine.
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