Tom Valenti is the chef-owner of the critically acclaimed restaurant Ouest and ’Cesca, both on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He is also the cofounder of Windows of Hope, which raises funds to support the families of food-service workers who died in the World Trade Center in September 2001. When not behind the stove, he can be found fly-fishing in the river that runs through his property in East Branch, New York. He lives in New York City with his wife, Abigail, and their five cats.
Andrew Friedman, a graduate of Columbia University and The French Culinary Institute, collaborates with such prominent chefs and restaurateurs as Alfred Portale and Pino Luongo on award-winning cookbooks. This is his second collaboration with Tom Valenti. He divides his time between New York City and Chatham, New York, with his wife, Caitlin, and their trusty dog, Indy.