Coffee Table Book, Valter of Salt Lake City: The Magic of the Table

Coffee Table Book, Valter of Salt Lake City: The Magic of the Table by Elaine Bapis. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781732918603.

There are roughly 750,000 restaurants in America, but few feature a chef like Valter Nassi, a culinary dream-maker who celebrated both great food and the wonderful experience of dining with family and friends. His food philosophy and touching view of life through the prism of the dining experience are captured in a beautiful coffee table book, Valter of Salt Lake City: The Magic of the Table. Valter of Salt Lake City is not a recipe-filled cookbook, but rather a touching tribute, in verse and beautiful photographs, to the gift of food. It follows culinary artist Valter Nassi’s journey from Monte San Savino, Italy to the creation of his signature restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah. His story reveals his food philosophy, that the story of food is the story of life. It portrays his food as art in over a hundred exquisite close-up food photographs of his specialized dishes. This book invites readers to think about food’s compelling effects on their experience at the table, and to explore their own food creations, and in the process change the way they think about cooking. Valter’s resume includes stops in Sardenia, Nairobi, Mombassa, Gastaad, London, New York City, and elsewhere. From each of his experiences he built a foundational approach to the culinary arts, developing deep insights on where he sourced his ingredients, how he prepared from scratch, and the art of plating. Some guests would say that you could see his artistic genius in the food. Along with his travels, the book shows their connections to his cuisine, and invites readers to explore their own food creations while they change their thinking about cooking. His hope is that his story will bring the family back to the table and make those two hours the center of life. And what is the result? Four words: love, passion, laughter, joy. That is the magic of the table and the power of food.