The Foreign Cinema Cookbook ― Recipes and Stories Under the Stars

Foreign Cinema opened its doors in 1999 in the Mission District of San Francisco, pioneers in transforming the neighborhood into a culinary destination. The dramatic experience of dining in the sweeping atrium, where films screen nightly, still enchant visitors 18 years later. Now, for the first time, chef-owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark share the best from their distinctive North African, California-Mediterranean menu.

Featuring 125 signature dishes, the book spans Pirie and Clark’s award-winning brunch favorites like Champagne Omelet and Persian Bloody Mary, cocktail hour with Lavender Baked Goat Cheese in Fig Leaves, and dinner fare including a Five-Spice Duck Breast with Cassis Sauce and Madras Curry Fried Chicken with Spiced Honey, alongside instructions for how to blend spice staples like Ras el Hanout. With rich storytelling throughout, Pirie and Clark offer home cooks a chance to take the restaurant into their own kitchen.

Gayle Pirie and John Clark are the chef-owners of Foreign Cinema. In 2010, Pirie was inducted into Les Dames d’Escoffier International. The couple have published two previous books; they live in Berkeley, California, with their two children.