Magic in the Kitchen

Taking inspiration from the surrealists, and adding a twist of twenty-first-century technology and a love of good food, photographer Jan Bartelsman turns his lenses on the United States' star chefs, traveling from coast to coast to photograph, interview, and collect recipes from such culinary luminaries as Julia Child, Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, and Daniel Boulud.

Bartelsman captures each chef's unique personality in hand-tinted photomontages enhanced by fanciful digitally generated elements to create a gallery that Food Arts magazine calls "fresh and spontaneous." Baby carrots rain down on Jean-Georges Vongerichten as he stands against the Manhattan skyline. Dancer-graceful Suzanne Goin strikes a pose with a Martha Graham-inspired carrot.

The chefs' recipes and comments are as lively as their portraits. Ming Tsai spices lobster with garlic and pepper, and serves it with lemongrass fried rice; Lydia Shire's gorgonzola dolce ravioli are paired with roasted summer peaches. This book is truly a delectable dish, the complexity and taste of which readers can savor for years to come.