How Michael Ruhlman Keeps Writing, Decade after Decade
Writing The French Laundry Cookbook led to co-authorship of 11 books with chefs, plus many other books
I first met writer Michael Ruhlman in 2010, en route to Ixtapa for a food writing workshop. We were on a small plane from Cancun. I wanted to introduce myself, but I could see that he was busy writing on his laptop, so I waited until we had landed. I admired his productivity and discipline, taking advantage of that short period to keep writing.
Most recently we met for a quiet lunch at IACP’s Brooklyn conference in September. That’s where he spontaneously recorded this Instagram video where I am laughing nervously:
Michael is particularly famous for co-writing The French Laundry Cookbook. Also for The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection, and Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. He’s had a long history of book writing and he plans to continue, in whatever way interests him most. Currently he is the author of 10 books, 10 cookbooks and 11 co-authored cookbooks.
“When I write a book,” he says, “I do so because what I’m writing hasn’t been done before — with exceptions being the small format How to Roast series. I also write to teach cooking. There’s no shortage of recipes out there, but there is a dearth of writing about technique, which will improve any recipe you prepare.”
His latest co-authored cookbook is Meat Pies: An Emerging American Craft. You can win a copy by leaving a comment below. This contest is open to readers who live in the U.S. and Canada. I’ll pick a winner at random at the end of the month.
Here’s Michael on what it takes to keep writing:
Q. Do you call yourself a food writer? I ask because while nine of the books you’ve written are cookbooks, you’re currently writing young adult (YA) fiction. You’ve written books about an all-boy prep school, wooden boats, and one about a pediatric heart surgeon. Plus, there was a book of three novellas.
A. I and a lot of journalists didn’t want to be pigeonholed as food writers. We wanted to be “real” writers. In 1996 I started writing seriously about food with The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America. When it became clear to me how important it was to cook at home, that’s when it dawned on me how important food writing was. But I didn’t want to just write about food because I had so many other interests.
It always comes back to food, though. In 1997, I was broke. I’d never written anything nationally on food, and I needed a job. I went out to a barbecue joint in Bainbridge, Ohio to see a friend, and asked if she could find a job with the best chef in Cleveland (where he lived. DJ). She said, “I’m working with Thomas Keller on his cookbook, and we’re looking for a writer.”
I wanted to be a novelist, but God said, “You’re good at this, so I’m going to send you to The French Laundry.” I don’t believe in God per se, but it makes me wonder.
