About
Chef Nanette Smalley
Passages from her Introduction to Favorite, in her own words, then her story in brief.
From her Introduction
I have been a chef most of my life and through my experiences I have learned the most important things in the kitchen are to have fun, love the experience, and savor the moments that create lasting friendships around a table.
Her mother, Jacqueline
My mother, Jacqueline, was an incredible woman who supported my curiosity and sense of play throughout my childhood. When I was 15 years old, she gifted me a copy of Larousse Gastronomique, which is considered by many to be one of the foundational resources of culinary knowledge. Cooking recipes from it became the spark that ignited my love of French cooking, learning the processes and techniques that would become the building blocks for my life in food. I fervently read it cover to cover, discovering what has become a passion for creating aromas, flavors, and smiles for the people I love. I hope this book can be a bridge for future generations of explorers in the kitchen.
Whenever I found a new recipe, my mother would help me every step of the way. We would make the trip to the only gourmet store in Hollywood from Palos Verdes, an hour drive in those days. She filled every moment of the journey with adventure and support, instilling a joy for the process as much as the product. It also helped that she would always clean up after me, sparing me the horror of a mountain of dirty dishes.
1974
In 1974, I became a mother. The responsibility and joy was like a lightning bolt that struck me dead in my tracks. As a single parent at 23 years old, I had to learn how to create a life not only for myself but for my newborn son, Oak. Everyone has hopes and dreams for what they expect their life to be at that age, and I was no different. I wanted to become a massage therapist, helping people heal and feel good. Once Oak arrived all of that changed. Knowing that I could provide for him through working in the food service industry, I reimagined those dreams and began my professional life in food. Working with people to feel good was still my focus so I just figured out a different approach.
50 years of recipes
The recipes in this book are a culmination of my love of food and shared experience. Over the last 50 years I have collected, created and developed the recipes that you are about to learn. This is truly the most important part of being in the kitchen: learning. Learning about what food you like, learning what your tastes are, and learning about how to cultivate your skillset.
Make mistakes and continue on.
Nanette, in her Introduction, pages 9 to 11
When I set out on my career I never thought of it as a career, I was doing what came naturally.
Santa Fe, New York and the book
Nanette Smalley was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and grew up in Palos Verdes, in southern California.
Her restaurant, La Querencia, was in Santa Fe. In December 1979, Gourmet magazine featured its open-faced crab sandwich in the “You Asked For It” section.
In New York she worked as a caterer and as a private chef. She has taught cooking classes, and took short professional courses at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.
On meeting Trudy and Steve, who wrote the book’s Foreword:
We first met when we were all working as private chefs in New York City. When you’re a private chef, you mostly work alone except when you’re having a large dinner party and bringing in help for the day. We formed a lasting bond as we helped each other deliver sensational food for our clients.
Favorite holds 123 recipes in seven chapters, with nine menus. Its recipes were cooked and photographed in a kitchen in Buffalo, New York, in May 2023, by a team that included her son, Oak.
The book 323 pages
Her 123 favorites, in one book
Favorite: 123 recipes in seven chapters, and nine menus. In hardcover.
Plus $5.99 shipping in the US
