Restaurant Operations Management: Principles and Practices Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Ninemeier and Hayes' book does an excellent job of providing the detailed information managers need to profitably operate a restaurant, but does it in a very simple, highly readable manner. I believe students will find the book to be most enjoyable. As an Instructor, I really like the ease in which my students will learn and retain the information. I think it is absolutely the best text on the subject and its recent copyright means it is also the most up-to-date.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Restaurant Operations Management: Principles and Practices

Designed to be the \'best\' book for restaurant management, Restaurant Operations Management addresses content areas that are integral to a restaurant manager\'s job, providing current and practical information. It breaks down the busy and complex world of restaurant management into what the manager must know, from the restaurant\'s inception to its actual operation. It focuses on financial, labor, and product resources, within the context of pleasing the guests. Topics cover: industry basics, sanitation, safety, nutrition, marketing, menu planning/design/pricing, human resources, accounting/financial management, standard recipes, product purchasing/receiving/storing/issuing, and restaurant analysis/improvement. Current, practical, and accurate, Restaurant Operations Management is an easy and interesting read for practicing industry professionals, such as restaurant managers, restaurant training managers, restaurant owners, and others wanting to learn effective restaurant management.

Get 12% OFF

Click here for more information about Restaurant Operations Management: Principles and Practices

Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister, The Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Nichols gives a nostalgic retrospective on the long live and prodigious output of Wayne McAllister. In no small part, the book walks the reader back through the last 60 years of urban commercial architecture in the southern California region. McAllister lived a very long time, and he was responsible for designing iconic landmarks that at least in the hazy afterglow of memory, epitomise a classic time.
The book is replete with many photos and illustrations, the cover being an example of the latter. The most common image, if not exactly the most enduring, is Bob's Big Boy. I remember in the early 80s, when I arrived in Los Angeles, how these fast food restaurants and their mascots were everywhere. Even getting a cameo role in Terminator. Alas, as the years wore on, the Bob's Big Boys got steadily deprecated. Not many left.
Another type of McAllister's work has also fallen into the tar pits of history. He designed many of the drive-ins that dotted Los Angeles. And which were an indelible part of many teenagers' experiences. Sadly, most are long gone, brought down by the VCR and its successors. At least in the book, you can see several as they once were, at the peak of their glory. Actually, no matter how pretty the architecture, the sound was often bad, the food dreadful, the movies second rate and the nearby cars often had loudmouths.
Great book. But for some readers old enough, there is a certain bittersweet tinge to all this.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister, The

The work of late commercial architect Wayne McAllister (1907-2000) is responsible for much of the character of Southern California today. His Fred-and-Ginger nightclubs and glinting-steel-and-blazing-neon circular drive-ins brought Hollywood to life. His Sands Hotel in Las Vegas became the home of the Rat Pack; the mythology of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. owes a great deal to the swank glamour of the Copa Room and the Sands Hotel, one of McAllister's finest.

Get 29% OFF

Click here for more information about Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister, The

Guide to the National Park Areas: Western States, 8th (National Park Guides) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My wife and I found this guide to be a real help in planning our first trip to the West. We discovered several facilities operated by the National Park Service that we didn't even know existed. We found the book to be geared more toward real travelers than armchair travelers.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Guide to the National Park Areas: Western States, 8th (National Park Guides)

From day trips to Fort Bowie National Historic Site in Arizona to a longer vacation at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, there are many opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors in America's national parks.

Click here for more information about Guide to the National Park Areas: Western States, 8th (National Park Guides)

Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The problem I face in writing this review is that I don't have all the time and space it would take to do this incredibly well done, truly magnificent history the justice it deserves. Stephen Fried has written at least three histories in this single volume.
The nominal subject is a gentleman named Fred Harvey, a name that is little known among the general public today.
But Fred Harvey was very influential in shaping the development of the American West, the railroad industry (or at least part of it), creating branding and merchandising as we now know it , creating the then new habit of restaurant eating, expanding employment opportunities for women, preserving Native American culture and still more. His son carried on long after Fred Harvey died, but the Harvey empire crumbled with the modern era.
Which is really a pity. I grew up in the twilight of the Fred Harvey era. I still vaguely recall how special eating at the Fred Harvey restaurant at a local railroad terminal was and think I rode on one of the last trains where Fred Harvey's company provided the dining car service.
"Appetite for America" covers Fred Harvey's history. His first big day was the opening of a "eating house" for the Santa Fe, Atchison and Topeka Rail Road in Topeka, Kansas. Eating out, so to speak, was not an experience to be sought after. Places offering food were suspect for many good reasons and the victuals offered were usually mediocre on the best of days. But Fred Harvey changed that: eating at one of Fred Harvey's eating houses was virtually guaranteed a pleasant experience with tasty and nourishing food at reasonable prices. The nation was on the move with the spread of railroads - and Fred Harvey reached a deal with the Santa Fe rail road to feed its ever increasing number of passengers. A shrewd entrepreneur, Harvey realized that creating satisfied customers was the key to success.
He innovated endlessly from his creation of the "Harvey Girls", well dressed, well trained servers which was very much a departure from the norm in those days, to the creation of Fred Harvey hotels and newsstands. Harvey created a vast empire of businesses, the first chain stores in fact, covering the western part of the United States. Part of it lives on in the legendary hotel on the rim of the Grand Canyon.
Friedl covers everything: from Fred Harvey's childhood to the dissolution of the company in the mid 20th Century.
There is so much to tell about that time and the man, his company and family, the railroads, the growth of the nation. Remarkably, Stephen Friedl in what can be fairly described as a triumph of research and good writing tells them all in great detail and interestingly. In fact, this book richly deserves more than a single reading.
I could go on and on about this remarkable multiple history. Friedl even includes recipes from Fred Harvey restaurants that were renowned in their day and still read as if they would be tasty. He recounts the train trip he and his wife took along the path of the old Santa Fe rail road, stopping to hunt for remnants of the Harvey empire. Train lovers, "trainiacs" as Friedl calls them, will love his history of railroading, particularly in the west. Students of business and American history will find much of interest in the detailed descriptions of how Harvey and his successors built and managed their far-flung, multi-faceted empire.
In all, this is an incredibly interesting book, made so by Friedls intensive research and excellent writing style. Very much worth reading more than once.
Jerry


Click Here to see more reviews about: Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West

Special Places to Stay: Scotland Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I love this book. Haven't traveled there yet, but makes planning more fun.
Received the book quickly and in good condition.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Special Places to Stay: Scotland

From the Georgian splendors of Glasgow and Edinburgh to the remote beauty of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland is home to some of our most beloved Special Places. We’ve found something to delight everybody – secluded crofts, grand old castles, tranquil cottages and heavenly hotels – all tastes and budgets are catered for. Discover a castle clinging precipitously to granite cliffs on the Ayrshire coast; a simple cottage on North Uist; an award winning ‘see through house’ on the Isle of Skye. You can stop searching now as this compact guide contains everything you’ll need for the perfect Scottish experience. “Much-loved Special Places To Stay guidebooks”The Guardian

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Special Places to Stay: Scotland

The Fountains of Bellagio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is the closest you can come to the "real thing" without really being there. With a true insight to the make-up of The Fountains of Bellagio, the book provides the intimate details to this magnificent artistic production. The photos in the book (most of which are color) are stunning and highlight the parts we like the best in the show. The detailed information, along with the trivia makes us feel like we are privy to the inner workings of something incredible. Nothing can compare to the emotion we feel viewing the actual fountains, but this is a great second!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Fountains of Bellagio

Introduction According to the laws of physics, water occurs in three states—liquid, solid (ice) and gas (mist or fog). But watching the Fountains of Bellagioä, it is quickly apparent that science occasionally must give way to poetry, even when describing the physical aspects of water. Here water exists as music, swaying like a dancer's arms, rising in a gasp of towering columns or sudden staccato bursts. Here water is a lattice of light, it wreathes the air, shimmies playfully as a showgirl and fans out as a wall of white like the sails of a tall ship blown suddenly full and fast. Here water requires words usually more often associated with mood and personality: majestic, flirtatious, romantic, regretful, and stately even witty.The fountain is inevitably used as a metaphor for joy. Leaping waters, currents that cascade and dance, these images are as close as many of us come to seeing what is more often felt—the surge of exultation, the flutter of love, the geyser of sudden joy. Yet it is not in the molecular nature of water to leap or dance; it is heavier than air and inanimate. To achieve movement, it must be acted upon by an outside source greater than itself—gravity, or the tug of the moon, heat or a sudden rush of air. The Fountains of Bellagio were designed to be superlative, and not just in size. The people creating them wanted to bring sophistication and stateliness to a place better known for glitz, to embody the full spectrum of culture, from Technicolor musicals to Italian opera. They wanted to embody music that over the years has burrowed deep into the collective imagination, the collective heart. So leaving things up to gravity, or even the prevailing water jet technology, wasn't going to do it. The basis of the work was elemental—water, air, sound and light. But everything else had to be coaxed into existence. Many forces mustered to act upon these waters—fountain designers, engineers and dancers, computer geeks, composers and musicians, scientists and divers, all focused on figuring out how to move the fountains so they, in turn, would move you. Water is not the only thing at work in a fountain; like joy, it requires a confluence of many things: patience, hard work, a lot of luck and a little magic.

Get 27% OFF

Click here for more information about The Fountains of Bellagio

San Francisco As You Like It: 23 Tailor-Made Tours for Culture Vultures, Shopaholics, Neo-Bohemians, Famished Foodies, Savvy Natives & Everyone Else Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a San Franciscan, this book is the perfect gift and/or inspiration to entertain friends, family or even yourself.
The author's approach orients the reader and eliminates the clutter of the average guide book. The book also has a nice balance between indoor and outdoor activities that you will be tempted to do over and over.
This is the perfect book for those looking for both the obvious and the obscure in San Francisco.

Click Here to see more reviews about: San Francisco As You Like It: 23 Tailor-Made Tours for Culture Vultures, Shopaholics, Neo-Bohemians, Famished Foodies, Savvy Natives & Everyone Else

A refreshing antidote to the standard, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink travel guide, San Francisco as You Like It takes over 20 character types - from grandmothers and parents with toddlers in tow, to savvy natives, neo-bohemians, and epicureans - and creates special tours that crisscross the city to satisfy their specific likes, needs, and preferences. Instead of reviewing attractions, hotels, restaurants, and everything else by category or location, this book presents its recommendations through customized itineraries that cater to the people who will use them. Using this unique organizational tool, it becomes the definitive insider's guide to the city - a perfect companion for visitors and locals alike. San Francisco native Bonnie Wach understands that where you want to go in this incredibly diverse city depends on who you are (or who you want to be). Her advice is practical, funny, and deeply rooted in San Francisco's exotic history and quirky character.

Get 15% OFF

Click here for more information about San Francisco As You Like It: 23 Tailor-Made Tours for Culture Vultures, Shopaholics, Neo-Bohemians, Famished Foodies, Savvy Natives & Everyone Else

Start & Run a Bed & Breakfast Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The authors of S&R a Profitable Bed and Breakfast know the in's and out's of the B&B business. As they say in the introduction, "we were blissfully unaware of the many pitfalls and problems we would face." In this book, the authors cover the good and bad in the B&B trade, creating a thorough understanding for those interested in running their own B&B. Topics include: finances, business licenses and inspections, customer service, advertising and promotion, and much more. The "sweet" recipes at the beginning of each chapter, are an added bonus. Also included are worksheets to help you plan your B&B. If you want to open your own B&B and do it right, I recommend you pick up a copy of this book first.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Start & Run a Bed & Breakfast

It takes more than dreams and a spare bedroom to run a successful B&B. Start & Run a Bed & Breakfast shows entrepreneurs how they can open their homes to visitors and make a profit.Written by two successful B&B owners, this book is essential for anyone who already runs a B&B and for those who are just dreaming of it. It will help them to create business and marketing plans to ensure their success.The clearly written text, along with easy-to-follow worksheets and explanatory samples, shows readers how to plan everything from renovations to record keeping and how to keep the business running trouble free through the early years.This practical guide answers questions such as:* Would I be a good B&B host?* Who are the customers I should cater to?* How do I promote my B&B on the Internet?* What kind of food services should I offer?* Why should I do financial forecasting?This book offers a behind-the-scenes look at how successful B&Bs keep their guests coming back year after year.

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Start & Run a Bed & Breakfast

Suite Scarlett Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Welcome to the Hopewell Hotel. We offer clean suites, delicious food (sometimes burnt), free entertainment (that the owners don't know about), and service with a smile.
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson has family values. Rather, it values family: The Hopewell has been passed down through the Martin family for generations. The current owners are struggling to keep it going, and their children readily pitch in to help. Well, "readily" is relative - no pun intended. There's Spencer, the oldest at nineteen, an actor skilled at comedy and pratfalls; Lola, a recent high school graduate whose rich boyfriend can give her everything she wants - except that which matters most; Scarlett, the Suite's sweet protagonist; and Marlene, the youngest, who has no problem saying what she likes and what she doesn't. On his or her fifteenth birthday, each Martin gets a suite to care for. The book begins with Scarlett turning fifteen, getting assigned the Empire Suite, and finding out just how tight things are getting in the hotel. "We'll get by," her father says. "We always do."
And they do. I really enjoyed the family dynamic in this book. Spencer and Scarlett are close, as are Marlene and Lola. They all get along, but Scarlett's bond with her brother is stronger than that with either of her sisters. Thus, a large part of Scarlett's story also belongs to Spencer. He put a culinary scholarship on hold to pursue his acting, and his parents gave him a year to become a working actor or buckle down for school. With that year almost up, Spencer is anxious for something to come his way that pays him (to make his parents happy) and challenges him (to make him happy), so he's thrilled to when he gets the opportunity to be in a production of Hamlet. Spencer has such a good heart. You'll want him to succeed, and you'll wish he was your older brother too.
Meanwhile, while all of Scarlett's friends are off having summer adventures, Scarlett works at home. The Empire Suite is occupied by an aging actress named Mrs. Amberson who has money to spare and opinions to share. This woman is a true character. You never know what she's going to do next. Instead of bossing her new assistant around with barking commands and snapping fingers, she becomes an odd sort of confidante for the girl, and her eccentric ways become endearing.
Before long, Scarlett finds her summer schedule pretty full. In addition to dealing with Mrs. Amberson's antics and helping out with Spencer's show, she's also crushing on Spencer's scene partner Eric. She tries to re-connect with each of her sisters. Marlene's coddled for a reason - something I won't reveal here - and sophisticated Lola's apparent happiness may be more of an act than her family knows.
Maureen Johnson's sixth novel - and Scholastic debut - is not to be missed. Johnson's trademark wit is here ("Before, liking Eric was like a mirror - it was just a shiny thing, and it only went one way") as is her ability to capture simple truths. There are many truths to be told here about families, first loves, careers, living in New York City, and simply growing up.
It's refreshing to read a story with a well-adjusted leading character who actually acts her age and likes her family. Watching Scarlett takes in everything around her is a real treat. She's content to be in the middle of her family, in the middle of her teen years, but she's also realizing how many wonderful possibilities are out there for her and for the ones she loves. You know that whatever she does now or when she grows up, she'll do it well.
Check into the Hopewell today. I hope - I know - you'll enjoy your stay.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Suite Scarlett

Click here for more information about Suite Scarlett

Purchasing for Chefs: A Concise Guide Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)the book is good if you are taking cooking classes or are in the restaurant business. As for Amazon,nothing to complain about

Click Here to see more reviews about: Purchasing for Chefs: A Concise Guide

Now in the new Second Edition, Purchasing for Chefs is a comprehensive yet concise treatment of the purchasing principles that teaches students and chefs the basic principles of how to purchase goods and services in order to run their businesses effectively. It contains sections on "Purchasing Technology" that explains purchasing lingo beyond the scope of the book as well as illustrating different tools used in purchasing. This book is written in a unique conversational style that makes purchasing an accessible subject.

Click here for more information about Purchasing for Chefs: A Concise Guide

How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner Second Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)We have various family members who now own vacation homes or second properties in Hawaii, France, Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, here in California and along Hoods Canal in western Washington, and one thing they all worried about was what would happen if the wrong people rented their properties. And since I got the book in June I have had to fight to read it, since so many of my family and friends would see it on my table and would grab it and rave about it.
This is the first (literally) book I (and my family and friends) have found that tackles all the hard questions, worries and various 'what ifs' on the subject.
Beginning with the 'before' you buy questions, which is something I know a lot of people never really give much thought to, since many assume renting it out during off season etc will be a breeze. I especially liked the chapter dealing with 'why self management makes sense' since this is an issue I know something about. How many prospective rental owners know that a management company who handles rentals for clients can take 30% or more as a commission? Or that using a rental manager doesn't assure your property will be safe, or repaired in a timely way without gouging your bank account?
The author deals extensively with the how to of finding clients to rent your property, including which websites are the best and what to have on your website as well. This includes good and accurate digital photos of all the rooms, yard, as well as Mapquest.com links so people can see how close they are to stores, beaches, rivers etc, that would be a draw as well as a drawback. A place may look nice on the website but how many owners show photos of the neighborhood so that clients can see that its safe and clean?
The author covers how to screen clients, pet clauses, smoking, and party issues and issues of liability in general. Will you use PayPal, credit cards, checks etc? What about the phone in the property and the agreement on use and charges? This is why I like the call anywhere in the country one fee programs phone providers now offer. If you have DishNetwork will there be an extra fee for use or will that be included in the rental fee?
Will you provide bed linens and basic kitchen items? What about those few people whom you can never please? How will you handle them and how should you, legally? These are also covered in-depth.
Does the state where the rental property is require you to pay state or local taxes like some hotel, motels charge a fee or tax for? These are all things you need to think about before you even buy a vacation rental.
The back two 'chapters' or index's offer a lot of Internet sites for valuable information that makes the price of the book worth every penny.
Ms. Hrib Karpinski deserves a lot of thanks for finally writing a book that is easy to read and understand as well as recommendations of those she trusts who might provide the reader with even more information.
And I am buying a copy for my local library as well! Also check out her website by the same name www.HowToRentByOwner.com

Click Here to see more reviews about: How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner Second Edition

In this all-new, updated edition, author and speaker Christine Hrib-Karpinski takes readers through all the steps necessary to purchase and rent out a vacation home. This book contains practical, hands-on advice that shows the reader how to do it without property management companies, and keep 100 percent of the profits. It offers realistic strategies to create a situation in which renters pay the mortgage, while still allowing the owner several weeks a year in that little slice of paradise.

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner Second Edition

The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook: Casual and Elegant Recipes Inspired by the Islands Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had been eyeing this book for quite awhile, for more than a year actually, because my husband and I were going to the BVI for our honeymoon. When we finally went on our honeymoon, through dumb luck and fate, we got a room down the road from the Sugar Mill, and we decided to go to their famous restaurant for a night out. That night out turned into one of the most fantastic, memorable dining experiences we'd ever had... The night was like something out of a fancy movie. Blown away by the food, I bought the cookbook at the gift shop after dinner. Flipping through it in the hotel, I almost couldn't wait to go home and try out some of their recipes. I ended up scribbling down drink mixes we had when we went out and about town in the BVI, so this cookbook has turned into a honeymoon food scrapbook for me.
Now, I know that back story makes me a little biased, but I have to say that even if I just bought it without going to the restaurant, I'd still think this cookbook is superb. It's so clearly written and each recipe has a little paragraph "bio" associated with it discussing either its creation, history, or interesting info on the ingredients or the tradition behind the food. That little paragraph adds to the local color and feel that resonates through this whole cookbook. You can almost taste and feel the Caribbean when you read this book. Another thing I really like is that this book will give you the recipe as it's served at their restaurant, adding to the authentic feel of the book... But the book also acknowledges that some of the ingredients easily available to them in the BVI might be hard to impossible to find on the mainland, so they give you feasible substitutions that don't hurt the taste or presentation at all. Also included are little blurbs on the various Caribbean islands, customs, or other interesting facts.
I'd say most of these recipes are what I like to call "grown-up recipes." Meaning, not all of them you'll throw together in 30 minutes, that these recipes are sophisticated, adult foods that will probably require a little planning and time, perfect for special occasions (or a nice dinner you'd like to feel like a special occasion). I know this is a big negative for some people, but for me it's nice to own a recipe book that involves some serious cooking. I own far too many cookbooks with recipes that call for throwing together various canned soups and canned vegetables, or other processed foods like Bisquick or freezer rolls, and baking it for 30 minutes, and serving. It's nice to have a recipe book that doesn't include 45 different ways to use "cream of" Campbell's soups, and talks about cooking with things like star fruit and plantains and all sorts of exotic fruits and ingredients you see at the grocery store and wonder "I wonder what you use that for?" :D This is certainly a "from scratch" cookbook, not a "30 minute meals" sort of deal.
The categories in this book are: Sunrise Specials (breakfast foods), Snacks, Nibbles, and Island Appetizers, Carnival of Soups, Calypso Salads and Side Dishes, Pastas Under the Palms, From the Fish Pot (seafood), Birds of Paradise (poultry), Tropical Meat Waves (all other meat), Sugar Island Sweets (desserts), and Trade Wind Cocktails (an essential for summer parties as it's the drink recipes... :D). Some of my favorite recipes are curried citrus rice, christophene and sausage filled flank steak, lime cream pasta, pina colada pancakes and cake (the latter being my husband's new favorite birthday cake), lobster chowder, and conch chowder. And I have a list of "need to try" recipes from this book as long as my arm.
I love this cookbook. It's the BVI wrapped up in a 245 page book. There are only two downsides as far as I can see to this book... The first one being that it doesn't include this awesome drink recipe that we had while we were there and are just dying to have again but nobody knows how to make... And the second being that every time I cook something from it, my husband and I remember how much fun we had and how beautiful this restaurant was, and then we start missing Tortola terribly... :)


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook: Casual and Elegant Recipes Inspired by the Islands

Get 33% OFF

Click here for more information about The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook: Casual and Elegant Recipes Inspired by the Islands

Managing the Guest Experience in Hospitality Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this book because it was required for one of my classes... but I will be keeping it for future reference! Helps explain all minor details that help in the hospitality field!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Managing the Guest Experience in Hospitality

This book is organized around the 14 "Service Principles" with a chapter dedicated to each.The most recent research is integrated throughout to support each principle and each chapter provides "Exemplars of Excellent Service".A "Moment of Truth" feature interspersed throughout the book provides an open-ended guest service vinette and allows the reader to provide an appropriate response or analysis of the situation that reflects an understanding of the principle being covered.A "Lessons Learned" section at the end of each chapter provides both practitioners and students with a review of the material quickly, in a useful, applied way.

Get 28% OFF

Click here for more information about Managing the Guest Experience in Hospitality

TASCHEN's Paris Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Being from 3.5 hours outside of Paris I have been many many times and this book makes you relive your trips all over again. Even if you have never been there and don't intend on going this makes for a great coffee table book. It contains beautiful photos of hotels, restaurants and shops. It's also a great gift for someone who just moved or bought their own place. I recommend the author to anyone. Angelika Taschen has many great books. A+

Click Here to see more reviews about: TASCHEN's Paris

This book combines all of Angelika Taschen s recommendations for Paris hotels, shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars into one volume, ensuring visitors a wealth of ideas and a guarantee that their Parisian sojourn will never have a dull moment. From the ultra-hot Colette fashion concept store to Tom Ford s secret hideaway to Hemingway s favorite brasserie, all of the best insider tips are gathered together between these covers so that when you hop out from under yours, you ll have plenty of exciting things on your agenda.Highlights include:Decorative ceramics shop Astier de Villatte The ultra-modern Comme des Garçons perfume and candle boutique Ladurée, the best macaroons in the city Ma Bourgogne restaurant on the beautiful Place des Vosges Classic bistro Allard that has hardly changed in 70 years Left bank restaurant La Palette, a favorite of Picasso and Braque Brasserie Lipp, where Hemingway ate the eat herrings he wrote about in A Moveable Feast The ultra-luxurious Ritz hotel on elegant Place Vendôme The cozy and cute Hôtel Bourg Tibourg in the Marais Hôtel Verneuil in St. Germain-des-Prés opposite the former residence of Serge Gainsbourg The quintessentially French Hôtel Duc de Saint-Simon

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about TASCHEN's Paris

The Upstart Guide to Owning and Managing a Bar or Tavern Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The book drives home the fact that to be successful a bar must be run in a businesslike way. It discusses start-up issues, shows ways to build sales, control costs, and keep expenses in line. Equipment, layout and service are also covered. I found the information very useful.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Upstart Guide to Owning and Managing a Bar or Tavern

Running a bar or tavern is risky business for those who go into it uninformed. This guide provides essential information on planning, making the initial investment, financial management and marketing. The author pays particular attention to alcohol awareness issues and legal issues connected with bar and tavern management.

Click here for more information about The Upstart Guide to Owning and Managing a Bar or Tavern

Becoming a Chef Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)AS a professional of 10 years now(currently working with Wolfgang Puck), this book should be a must read before you commit to being a chef.
It gives a realistic look into what working in the high end kitchens in the World is REALLY like.(The long hours, heat, working sick, tempers,low pay, etc.) What you see on cooking shows is staged and is not a indication of the day to day grind that a kitchen hits you with. Most people have NO IDEA what they are getting themselves into!
I suggest to anyone who is considering taking on the challenge of earning the title "Professional Chef"-REad this book, get a job in kitchen before you spend money on cooking school to see if you like it, and ask yourself-do you love food, or do you just think it would be a glory filled way to fame?


Click Here to see more reviews about: Becoming a Chef

The updated edition of the book Julia Child called "a 'must' for aspiring chefs"-the James Beard Award-winning guide to one of today's hottest careersWith more and more chefs achieving celebrity status, interest in the exciting world of today's leading chefs is higher than ever. Essential reading for anyone who loves food, Becoming a Chef gives an entertaining and informative insider's look at this dynamic profession, going behind the scenes to look into some of the most celebrated restaurant kitchens across the nation. More than 60 leading chefs-including some of the newest up-and-coming-discuss the inspiration, effort, and quirks of fate that turned would-be painters, anthropologists, and football players into culinary artists.Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (both of New York, NY) are the authors of the bestselling titles Culinary Artistry, Dining Out, Chef's Night Out. Dornenburg has cooked professionally at Arcadia, Judson Grill, and March in New York City and Biba and the East Coast Grill in Boston. Page, the recipient of the 1997 Melitta Bentz Award for Women's Achievement, is a graduate of the Harvard Business School.

Get 41% OFF

Click here for more information about Becoming a Chef

Purchasing, Study Guide: Selection and Procurement for the Hospitality Industry Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had to use this book as a text for a purchasing course I took and was frustrated to no end by its lack of organization. The different sections often repeat and even contradict themselves, although this improves substantially when you get to the chapters in the second half of the book on specific categories of items to be purchased. Each chapter is followed by a list of 30-40 "important words and concepts," most of which aren't defined or explained in the chapter but just mentioned in passing. Some of them aren't even mentioned in the chapter, and many of them appear on two or three different lists. The index is so limited as to be next to useless, and there is no glossary. I found myself continuously referring to other books and internet resources to get the information I needed, not because it wasn't in the book, but because I couldn't *find* it.
That said, the content of the book is thorough and well thought-out. Though I wouldn't recommend it as a textbook or desk reference, reading through it would give a novice buyer a good grounding in the principles of purchasing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Purchasing, Study Guide: Selection and Procurement for the Hospitality Industry

Hospitality professionals will find that this eighth editionbalances purchasing activities with product and information from a management perspective. Each chapter has been revised so that the most current concepts available are presented along with even more in-depth coverage of hospitality purchasing. Numerous examples, questions, and exercises are included to reinforce new concepts. In order to reflect changes in the field, technology applications in the purchasing function are discussed throughout. New, revised, and updated illustrations and photographs of concepts, companies, and products relating to the purchasing function have also been included to give hospitality professionals a better understanding of the field.

Click here for more information about Purchasing, Study Guide: Selection and Procurement for the Hospitality Industry