San Francisco A Food Biography [Hardcover]

Part of the Big City Food Biography series, this book examines all that is unique about San Francisco through the development of its renowned cuisine. Beginning with customs of San Franciscos earliest Native American residents whose migratory lifestyle enabled them to sample all existing plant and animal life, Peters tours the Northern Californian food scene through the ages, discussing the influence of immigrant groups as they populate the city. The book examines the contributions of the Chinese, Italians, French, Latin American populations as well as the influence of the bohemian culture. Among the notable individuals, Peters discusses Mary Ellen Pleasant, a black woman who arrived in the early years of the Gold Rush and became one of the first entrepreneurs in the food industry, and Auguste Marinoux and Andre Benadou, who are credited with opening the citys first French restaurant back in 1849. Peterss clear and engaging style of writing eases readers through the evolution of farmers markets to the rise of the corner grocery store and eventually the prevailing supermarkets. A section on famous restaurants and signature dishes completes this comprehensive work. Photos.San Franciscos inspired chefs; its markets packed with foodstuffs from nearby farmers, ranchers, and vintners; and its influential food writers have made the city the Wests gastronomic capital. In many ways, it serves as inspiration for most all contemporary American cooking. So this history of the citys markets, restaurants, cookbooks, and signature dishes comes at the perfect moment. Piling up often-overlooked details, Peters catalogs how various immigrant groups have contributed to San Franciscos cuisine while giving due credit to Native American ingredients and influences. She describes how the 1906 earthquake upended lives briefly before the city roared back. She relates stories of individual restaurants and food retailers, and she inventories specialties such as cioppino and Rice-A-Ronil£S