The list of those who helped this book in one way or another is long—especially as I began working on it officially four years ago, though in reality more than a decade before that, when I arrived in Spain and initiated my apprenticeship in its kitchen. To the vast number of butchers and bakers, farmers and fishermen, home cooks and chefs who have each offered a piece to this great culinary and cultural puzzle, I offer deep and sincere thanks.
There are a number of people in Spain for whose help I am particularly grateful: Tomàs Borràs and Rosa Ramírez; Carmina Borràs and Robert Cosials; Rosa María Borràs and Ramón Rovira; Marien Borràs and Xicu García; Tía Encarnita, Tía Angelita, Tía Fermi, Tía Rosa, and Tía Tere; Nicolas Morales and Pepe García; Albert and Jordi Asín; Antoni Cot; Natalia Reixach, Jaime Pascual, and Àvia Lola; Elisabet Ars; Mari-Luz Valero, Jesús Mansilla, Juana Ortega, Jesús Mansilla (padre), and Juan Aspas; Francisco Nuñez de Prado; Eduard Pons; Gerard Veà; David Montegut; José Manuel Arias; José Melero; Josep Ravell and Jesús Benevente; Manuel Pérez Pascuas and Juana González; Virginia Irurita and her staff at Made for Spain; Jorge González, Rúben Arnanz, and Inmaculada Casado; Apelio García Sánchez; Gregoria Carrasco Sánchez and family; Pedro Quijorna; Maria Pons and Pere Pons; Sandra Martínez; Eugenia Sarasqueta; Cesc Segura and Eli Jaso; Mark Gregory Peters and Olga Greño; Pilar Rodríguez, Cristina Chiva, and Dani Cárdenas; and Caspar.
Outside of Spain, to those in the food and publishing world who were particulary supportive, thank you: Naomi Duguid; Jodi Deleon; Leslie Jonath; Rebecca Staffel; Mary Risley; Sylvia Whitman and Heather Hartley; Mercedes Lamamie and Paz Tintoré; James Oseland and Dana Bowen; Justin Paul, Marika Cain, and Melanie Fowler; Jocelyn Zuckerman; Tina Ujlaki and Kate Heddings; Derk Richardson, April Kilcrease, and Tara Guerting; Dick Doughty and Sarah Miller; Jeanne McManus; Michelle Wildgen; Katie Workman and Mary Goodbody; and Sandy Gluck and Lisa Mantineo.
My agent, Doe Coover, and those in her office, including Francis Kennedy, deserve great thanks for their work on this from the very beginning.
And at Chronicle Books, a huge thanks for everything on this book, our fourth together. Warm appreciation to Bill LeBlond, Amy Treadwell, Sarah Billingsley, Vanessa Dina, Steve Kim, Ann Spradlin, Doug Ogan, Claire Fletcher, and Lorena Jones. Thanks to Peter Perez, David Hawk, and Alyson Pullman on the publicity side. And Ann Rolke for her copyediting. Thanks to Alice Chau for her design.
I would like to thank Kevin J. Miyazaki for his fantastic photographic work on the plated dishes. Appreciation also to Ana Torrontegui for her help in Barcelona and Dani Cárdenas in finding so much great tableware. And Rosa María Borràs and Ramón Rovira for use of their wonderful country place, which has always epitomized the best of the rural kitchen for me.
A huge thanks to my family—especially my parents, Bill and Joanne, and brother, Bill—for their support during the book.
My biggest thanks goes to my two girls—Alba and Maia—who have eaten everything in the book on numerous occasions (or as close to that as any father could ever wish). And to Eva, the reason I came to Spain all those years ago—and stayed.