To the hard-working cooks, dining room and bar teams extraordinaire, to the chefs and friends stepping in that first year, filling the place with love and commitment: Kathleen Daelmans, Catherine Johnston, Andrea Rappaport.
Thank you to Bruce McDonald, our partner, who graciously has supported and championed a steady evolution, vital for sustainable growth and longevity. Thank you Eleanor Bertino for fusing the wires of Foreign Cinema and ourselves in 2001, a lifetime and several recessions ago.
Very special thanks to Shannon Tucker for always delicious wine selections throughout the book and her deep love of Foreign Cinema.
Special appreciation goes to alums David “Daddy” Parker, Phil Mauro, Collen Quinn, Juan Aguilar, Julio Umanzor, David Evans, Luis Bao, Dionicio Zalaya, Adolfo Acuna, Suyapa Rodriguez, Denis De Leon, Pedro Martinez, Natalie Bowen Brookshire, Stephanie Doane, Andrew Dovel, Sarina Eastman, Janine Jacobson, Aimee Lema, Carlos Poot, Sandra Sandoval, Julia Orsoto for dedication in service all these years.
To the dedicated managers of Foreign Cinema, thank you for your passionate drive and commitment.
To the great cooks who inspire and ecourage us every day. Thank you Niloufer Ichaporia King, Amaryll Schwertner, Gabrielle Hamilton, Alice Waters, Paula Wolfert for sharing the depths of your experiences, curiosity, humor, and pure spirit.
Our wise and steady food purveyors make our days possible: Paul, Tom, and Dave at Monterey Fish; Justin Offenbach and the Golden Gate family; Martin Bournesque; all of our friends at Bassian, Sonoma Feed, King of Mushrooms, Water2Table, Ports Seafood, Gourmet and More; and the entire family of food and wine suppliers we trust to bring us the best possible.
To Jon and Juliet Varnedoe for daring to see Foreign Cinema in the unique site and searching for the lost footage of the Foreign Cinema in process. Thank you to Colleen Meharry, Harry Simms, and Praxis Architects for all these years of epic continuity and support.
Appreciation to our literary agent, Carole Bidnick, for waiting patiently seven years and nudging this book into reality. Jennie Schacht for clarity, presence, guidance. Meesha Halm for championing the project and encouraging “everything FC.”
For recipe testing, we are indebted to Karen Praxedes, Faith Thurrman, Calli Clark, Stephanie Doane, Ryan Stagg, Erin and Travis Henry.
Heartfelt thank you to photographer Ed Anderson, to Ethel Brennan, and to book designer Toni Tajima for the challenging work of capturing Foreign Cinema in book form, and for your approachable ease and generosity and care for the project.
Warm thanks to the creative team at Abrams for their expertise, enthusiasm, and guidance: Laura Dozier, Camaren Subhiyah, Leda Scheintaub, Anna Dobbin, Jane Bobko, Joy Sanchez, Annalea Manalili, art director John Gall, Paul Colarusso, Jennifer Bastien, and Mamie VanLangen.
To Magnus and Pearl for sampling potato–celery root gratins, cleaning up the shattered “shatterproof” Pyrex, and tasting food with those pristine taste buds of yours—and for always being truthful.
