For creating such a beaut of a cookbook, I’d like to thank the terrific and wonderfully talented team at Chronicle Books—Sarah Billingsley, Deanne Katz, Alice Chau, Doug Ogan, Sara Golski, Tera Killip, Ellen Wheat, and Steve Kim. Sarah was our editor extraordinaire, and to her I owe a huge debt of gratitude for the opportunity to write this book. Nicole Franzen, Erin Quon, and Kira Corbin brought the recipes to life and made humble dressings and salads look stunning.
Adam Ried is the best coauthor one could ask for, and I consider myself fortunate to have had the chance to collaborate with him. Sandra Wu is a recipe-testing pro on whom I count every time—a big thank-you goes out to her. Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my mom, Barbara Yanagihara, and my better half, Christyan Mitchell, for all their support throughout the years.
You could say that my part in this book results from doctor’s orders. A few years back I wrote a book on milkshakes, which, over the course of a summer, occasioned the consumption of . . . ahem . . . a lot of milkshakes. In the fall, I had my annual physical, including blood tests for cholesterol and triglycerides and such. With the results in hand, my doctor, Ricardo Wellisch, looked me straight in the eye and said, “Now how about a book on lettuce and lemon juice?” While you won’t find plain lettuce and lemon juice in this book, it’s still a big step in the right direction. Here’s to you, Dr. Wellisch!
A monster thanks, of course, to Dawn—friend, palate, opportunity maker, and co-conspirator par excellence. Thanks also to Sandra Wu for spot-on recipe testing and all-around loveliness, to my sister Amanda Hewell and my brother Josh Ried for their love and support, and our rockin’ Chronicle team—editor Sarah Billingsley, Deanne Katz, managing editors Doug Ogan and Sara Golski, designer Alice Chau, Ellen Wheat, Tera Killip, Steve Kim, Nicole Franzen, Erin Quon, and Kira Corbin—for bringing the book to life with style and care.