This lovely book will have you wishing you were part of the early farm-to-fork scene when Sally and Don took over Vintage 1870 in Napa. Sally’s reminiscences over her more than 80 year life are filled with family, food and fun. The recipes are nostalgic glimpses back to a California when “foodie” was not a noun, but local food sources were a treasured part of every chef’s pantry.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Six California Kitchens is a love letter to a burgeoning locavore food scene that continues to lead trends and influence the entire country and the ways we source food and dine more than six decades later. The photographs and carefully chosen recipes bring even more depth to the beautifully told story of Sally's evolution from young home cook to home economics student to chef and co-founder of the iconic French Laundry restaurant to her life after French Laundry and beyond as she neared her 90th birthday. This reflection is made even more poignant by her passing as I was reading it for review. This incredible book is at once a cookbook, a memoir, a food history lesson, and a love story. A must-have for foodies and fans of California cuisine.

I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and will include it in a TBR round-up of recent releases for foodies later this spring. I'll also be adding a physical copy to my permanent collection upon its April 5, 2022 publication.

As a baker, cook, sometime chef, this was a gem of a read. It traces the start of California as a dining destination, the start of a new cuisine, and how these upstarts began. I love the line of how and who became the talk of the culinary world. Beginnings that were both humble and practical. How a small group decided they would forego the usual and start a movement that embraced the bounty of this state. A modest beginning stretched across the country and held fast to the farmers and growers who believed fresh should be local and above all seasonal.

This book made me feel like I was standing in my grandmothers kitchen, being taught by her, and having her pass recipes down to me. It is part life story, part cookbook and I loved every single page after reading it cover to cover.

Not only is the story a beautiful one, so are the recipes. They are formatted similar to Mastering the Art of French cooking by Julia Child in that the ingredients are broken out and next to each step. They also come with personal anecdotes, as well as useful tips. The recipes are also very easy to understand and approachable. I enjoyed this so much that after reading it via an ARC e-book, I just ordered myself a copy to have forever. I think I’ll gift one to my mom too!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read such a delightful book!

Gorgeous and rich, I wanted this book to go on forever. What a creative concept, and a beautiful realization. Schmidt’s writing is the cherry on top - just a beautiful project, I’ll be adding a print copy to my library for sure.

This is a heart warming biography/cookbook. The recipes lead a trail of her life and experiences that make her who she is. The number of recipes in this book do no disappoint.

I love the cover of the book. It was one of the reasons I requested an arc copy. The rest of the book doesn't disappoint. I like when chefs through in stories about the recipes they are sharing. I haven't made any recipes yet but I definitely plan to soon. Lots of good recipes to choose from!

From the first page, I was touched by the authenticity and clarity of this memoir of a life intertwined with a life in food. Ninety years of California history and a vision of life in a different time, when moms had the energy to make pies and dads came home from their day jobs then tended the vegetable garden. Its the story of a happy marriage, and family, and the nascence of one of the most important food movements in the U.S. Just an all-around beautiful and important book. The recipes are diverse, personal (a lot of lamb, and duck, but I like that), and beyond elegant -- again, there is a clarity and a simplicity that comes from having a vision, from mastery, and makes for true elegance. I appreciate the opportunity to review an advance digital copy of this book via NetGalley, and plan to buy a copy for myself and my mother.

This is a lovely cookbook/memoir from Sally Schmidt with California-esque recipes and plenty of stories. I kept bookmarking pages for recipes to make! Focusing on Napa Valley and Yountville, this book is a treasure of farm to table dishes, over six restaurants.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

Sally Schmitt is a legend in California cuisine and the farm-to-table movement. She's most famous as one of the founders and as chef at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, but as this memoir/cookbook relates through friendly banter and asides, this is only one of six kitchens that has shaped her life. As a storytelling format, it is unique and logical. She begins with her childhood and her mother's kitchen, and moves onward from there, explaining what she learned and what the general vibe of life was at the time, with everything elaborated upon with photographs, drawings, and recipes that will make the mouth water.

The recipes are formatted in a unique style that fits the conversational tone of the whole book: there's no ingredient block up front, but the ingredients are listed in the own column alongside the point in the recipe directions when they are used. I wish more cookbooks would take on this style and save cooks from having to flip pages between ingredients and instructions! The food itself is the epitome of Napa Valley cuisine, relying on lots of fresh ingredients and high quality meats such as lamb. Cost and availability will likely curtail many readers from giving the recipes a try. However, this book is so much more than its recipes. It's a refreshing, gentle memoir, an ambling journey through someone's life via their kitchen and foods.

Who doesn't love a good memoir? This one is extra special because the theme is kitchens, from the one you were raised in, to the ones you created to the ones you shared your gift with others.

I originally picked this book up because of my love for the French Laundry - a dynamite restaurant in Northern California. But the story became so much more. It brought me back to my grandmother's table where she taught me to snap green beans, make potato salad, cookies, cakes, all of her specialties.

My only problem with the book was the format was difficult to read. you couldn't change the font size, which was ridiculously small. It made it more difficult to read -- but oh so worth it.

If you are a foodie, if you feel nostalgic about food and the way your mom, grandma, great Auntie Sadie made it - this is the book for you.

She takes us on a trip from her fist kitchen in her mother's home to the kitchen today. She talks about the ingredients, where they came from and their story.

This book will open people's eyes about picking an apricot off the tree and eating it vs. putting an apricot into a plastic bag at the supermarket and eating it a few days later.

Flavor, Nostalgia, Family and FOOD!
Loved it! Highly recommend.

I was given an advanced copy via NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity!

This is a gorgeous book that is part autobiography, part cookbook recounting the life of and meals by Sally Schmitt. The book was inspired by one of Sally's grandchildren who asked "Who is Aunt Polly?" and it was clear to her that there was a need to put their family stories down on paper. This is a beautiful story about a family told through their shared history of restaurants and food. I loooved the reflective prose and the storytelling all throughout, it felt so intentional and special and did a great job of framing a life well lived.

The recipes mirror the time that they were developed and enjoyed in, and I think there is something really special about that. It really sets this book apart from the rest. It reminds me a lot of the world that Ruth Reichl creates in her storytelling, which is one of my favorite worlds to live in.

I love that this book is a reflection on a big, beautiful life that is rooted in making and sharing meals. As Sally looks back she leans on other people in her life, like her family, to help recount memories from the days shared in the book. It was really great to hear the added perspectives of other people who were there too.

Six California Kitchens offers something you can't find in most cookbooks on the shelf. The pictures alone are worth picking it up. This book is required reading for everyone who loves American cuisine, or has interest in learning more about its roots. The chef and dining culture we see today was built by people like Sally and it is beyond special to have this archive of her experiences.

Thank you to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to preview this ARC. Six California Kitchens will be out 4/5/22 and I will be pre-ordering today!

Pioneer restaurateur Sally Schmitt has written a wonderful memoir/cookbook that I really enjoyed reading.

Gorgeous, homey photos interspersed amongst recipes and memories.

Part awareness and regard of food, part love story of family, my (non-vegan) husband and teens found many recipes in this to try.

While I wouldn’t suggest this for vegans, I would suggest it for others looking to gain a true appreciation of food.

Pure love. "We all have a ladder to climb, and then descend. My ladder was made up of six kitchens, all of them in California." I savored every delicious morsel of this book. Sally Schmitt is an iconic cooking legend who helped pioneer the farm-to-table movement in Napa. This is the story of how she got her start, the story of how The French Laundry was born, the story of Napa’s burgeoning wine scene, but mostly, the tender story of a family. Her family. Chock full of nostalgic photos, beloved recipes, charming anecdotes and insightful tips, this book is a timeless treasure.

This is a lovely memoir masquerading as a cookbook!
I find many memoirs, especially foodie ones a little pretentious but this was the lovely story of a woman and her family. Sally's odyssey from her mother's kitchen and into her own cooking/restaurant career was told nicely in terms of recipes and vignettes. I actually read and enjoyed all of her commentary. The setting of Yountville and the Napa Valley is a little familiar to me and that was also enjoyable.
I found many recipes that I will like to try, though ingredients might be hard to source for a home cook. The attention to detail in the instructions and added hints were great! The recipes were refreshing in that not a lot of special equipment was needed to prepare them.
It was intriguing to see that Apple Farm is still a working venue (except for the pandemic) and I'm now keen to try a stay there out when it is able to reopen.
The photography adds a lot to this book. Not every recipe is pictured but the setting is well documented in addition to the recipes themselves which is lovely.

Sally Schmitt’s book is extremely creative and I enjoyed this memoir/cookbook. The recipes are easy to follow and the writing is beautiful. It did take a bit of time to get used to the recipe layout but once you get past it, the recipes are super easy.

I really liked the stories that went with every delicious recipe in this book. I have made several recipes and can see why she has had many successful restaurants. So many tips also in this cookbook.

A wonderful story loved learning the history of the French Laundry the iconic restaurant.Sally and her husband the founders there food philosophy’.Sally’s farm to table her cooking I was totally engrossed in her recipes ingredients.A book that those who love the art of cooking will treasure.#netgalley #sixcaliforniakitchens.

This was quite extraordinary in every way. I knew little about the history of the French Laundry so that piece was interesting. What an amazing story, history, legacy and contribution to the food world.