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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, June 11, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 17, 2004 Author-chef Stu Stein sits in the Peerless Restaurant, which he co-owns with his wife, chef Mary Hinds, in Ashland. Locally grown and seasonal foods are featured in their restaurant. Peerless chefs stir up a book Stu Stein says sustainability starts in the garden he grows for the dishes Mary Hinds cooks in their restaurant By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Stu Stein is the first to admit some folks are confused by the concept behind his new cookbook, "The Sustainable Kitchen." In fact, the co-owner of Ashland’s Peerless Restaurant says the just-released volume was rejected by potential publishers for more than a year because they didn’t get it, either. "Half of that was that they didn’t understand the difference between organic and sustainable," says Stein, 38, who co-wrote the book with his wife, chef Mary Hinds, and author Judith Dern. Ironically, the essence of sustainability couldn’t be simpler — or more familiar, the couple says. "It’s basically what used to be at your doorstep anyway," says Hinds, 41. Advertisement Back when more people raised their own animals, grew their own vegetables, harvested their own grains — or knew the people who did those chores — almost everyone had a sustainable kitchen. Nowadays, however, with food sources increasingly separate from consumption, too few people know what they’re eating — or how it got to their plates. The notion of sustainability, Stein explains, aims to close that information gap with action and awareness. "They have to ask questions about where, what, why and who," he says. In return, consumers will come away with an appreciation of production and consumption practices that create ecological, economic and biological sustainability on levels from the global to the individual. Condensing that theoretical stance into a hands-on cookbook sounds more daunting than it actually was, Stein says. In its simplest form, sustainability starts in the garden Stein grows for Hinds’ dishes. "Peas and radishes are my personal favorites right now," she says. Accordingly, on Page 68 of the glossy, 231-page cookbook is a recipe: Butterhead Lettuce with Spring Radishes and Peas with White Balsamic Dressing. The whole book is like that, filled with recipes that showcase seasonally appropriate, locally produced food, and carefully paired wines to match. Because Stein and Hinds have been rooted in Ashland since he moved here a few years ago, it’s got a Pacific Northwest flavor. But because the nationally distributed book also aims to empower sustainable cooks across the country, it includes detailed suggestions for substitutions to suit any region. "There’s a fiddlehead fern recipe, for instance, but we tell you it tastes like asparagus and okra," Stein says. With a first printing of 15,000 to 20,000 copies, the book was picked up by New Society Publishers, a Canadian firm dedicated to ecologically sustainable practices. Stein says he wrote the book to answer common questions about his restaurant’s menu. Stein is a chef and former California Culinary Academy chef instructor, while Hinds is a chef who worked for the restaurant giant McCormick and Schmick in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. During their careers, both have come to value the use of artisan food producers and farmers — the more local the better — to craft award-winning cuisine. "I want to see local farmers survive," Stein says. He and Hinds have been advocates for a growing Southern Oregon culinary tourism emphasis, and for a local chapter of the "slow food" movement that seeks to change the way people eat. Writing a cookbook while running a restaurant came easy to Stein, a Chicago native who admits he needs several simultaneous projects to feel fulfilled. He and Hinds also built a house while the book was in production. Despite common confusion about sustainability, Stein and Hinds hope the concept will catch on as consumers learn more about food safety and quality issues. "There would be no mad cow (disease) if everyone did what we did with the cows," Stein says. As awareness grows, more people will realize that sustainability extends far beyond the kitchen, Hinds says: "It’s a way of life. It fits in with what we believe." Author-chef will sign books Author and chef Stu Stein will sign copies of his new book, "The Sustainable Kitchen: Passionate Cooking Inspired by Farms, Forests and Oceans," today at Bloomsbury Books in Ashland. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at the bookstore, 290 E. Main St. Stein, who co-owns Ashland’s Peerless Restaurant, co-wrote the book with his wife, chef Mary Hinds, and food writer Judith H. Dern. Photography is by John A. Rizzo. Foreword is by Caroline Bates, a contributing editor to Gourmet magazine. For information, contact Stein at 488-6067 or see www.thepeerlessrestaurant.com Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times