Comments on: Why Awards Matter to Me

By: Andra@FrenchPressMemos

Andra@FrenchPressMemos — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:56:46 +0000

Congrats on the award Michael. There are down-sides to awards but it is recognition you deserve and should enjoy. I have and cherish both the French Laundry and the Charcuterie book– and understand your surprise when neither got the Beard nod. It appears that I need to get my hands on Twenty — I have been flirting with it at our local cookery candy-shop for adults, Peppercorn in Boulder. Soon it shall be mine that new book of yours.

By: Natalie Luffer Sztern

Natalie Luffer Sztern — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:28:35 +0000

Like Redemption, Recognition does the soul good.

By: Snickerdoodle: The Perfect Cookie (Almost Always) | Michael Ruhlman

Snickerdoodle: The Perfect Cookie (Almost Always) | Michael Ruhlman — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:05:00 +0000

[...] Awards boost book sales. Awards don’t affect book sales one way or another. Whatever I happen to think about awards personally, here’s one thing I know for certain: They don’t change errors in a [...]

By: Natalie Luffer Sztern

Natalie Luffer Sztern — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:38:59 +0000

I am still in shock that when written, On The Line, did not win an award for not just its content but for the truly unusual layout of each page. Boggles my mind that those at James Beard did not see it as I did after I read it. However the fact that Chopped won out over Ming Tsai – I never imagined food network would ever turn into the network it did -

By: Lori @ RecipeGirl

Lori @ RecipeGirl — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:37:33 +0000

I was surprised that Ratio didn’t catch award attention too… but you’re so deserving. Glad this one caught the right eyes. Congrats to you, Michael.

By: Karen Hollings

Karen Hollings — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:06:01 +0000

Congratulations Michael! My husband Robbie and I enjoyed meeting you in Charleston this past December. I love Twenty and to celebrate your win, we are poaching some great South Carolina shrimp using your recipe.

By: JGD

JGD — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:06:12 +0000

Slipping in a reference to my favorite Christmas movie (“A Christmas Story”) should be worthy of a prize!

Congrats on all your successes.

By: Carly

Carly — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:14:40 +0000

It doesn’t really surprise me that someone who’s very into The French Laundry Cookbook would not be so into Ratio. As with most things, no book on food or cooking is going to be for everyone. There are a lot of ways to learn something, and if you feel you’ve already learned all of the things you care to learn that are covered by a book like Ratio, then sure, it makes sense that that one might not be for you. Someone else, with a different skill set or just a different way of learning and thinking, may still get a lot out of it. Really, whether or not something appeals to you or applies directly to you shouldn’t be the measure of whether it’s good or worthwhile.

By: marlene

marlene — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:30:03 +0000

Beautifully said, Kim!

By: Kim Foster

Kim Foster — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:24:32 +0000

My husband David produces shows and concerts. He’s been nominated for a couple of Tony’s and won a Grammy, but this one year, he produced a special event on Broadway that had gotten raves from the Times, critically-acclaimed everywhere, sold out every night, huge fandom around the performers. They were a shoe-in for the Tony. The Times even predicted it. They lost, to a show that I believe was much more pedestrian,and not nearly as acclaimed or beloved by fans and critics. I still have no idea why, except that what wins and what doesn’t is often random, subject to lots of ideas we have no control over.

LIke you, that experience made me less impressed by who wins and who doesn’t. But here’s the thing: It’s not about one book, or one show, or a single award – it’s how your art/writing changes people, inspires them, moves them. The award is what you get every time someone roasts a chicken for the first time, and their life is changed,even a little, or how Charcuterie inspired Charcutepalooza, & had 400 people brining, smoking, stuffing, etc.

You’ve changed how people cook. Actually how they cook, Michael. And you did that over the course of many books, the things you learned from each chef, each writing process. This book so deserved the award and congratulations (!) but ten years from now, only a handful of people will be able to remember who won this year. Or be fixated on how they liked this book of yours better than that book of yours. What people will remember is that they read something you wrote and it deserved to be incorporated into their lives. They invited you in and kept you around. I think that happens often with your work. And I don’t think you can get an award better than that.

So congrats on all of it!

Kim

By: marlene

marlene — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:02:59 +0000

I was a bit surprised that Ratio wasn’t nominated for anything as well. I was very excited at Twenty winning. I believe I told Michael way back in November there’d be a nomination for it.

And I’m still stunned at the French Laundry loss as well.

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:39:29 +0000

highly rec blood bones butter as well.

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:39:07 +0000

Wow, you’re the first person to say that, at least to me. Sorry Ratio disappointed you so.

By: Brooke & Ang

Brooke & Ang — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:06:56 +0000

We Loved reading Gabriel Hamilton’s winning book: http://bloodbonesandbutter.net/ Blood, Bones, & Butter. A great read and rates up there with Soul & Reach of a Chef!

By: A Long Way of Saying We Made Fried Chicken and it was Bitching | Noodle Soup for Breakfast

Tue, 22 May 2012 02:27:06 +0000

[...] cook or order out) on Sunday night. The first being that, based on the advice of Bittman and Ruhlman, I started making my own poultry stock this past winter. The impact that homemade stock has had [...]

By: Morten Båtbukt

Morten Båtbukt — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:38:25 +0000

I agree on The French Laundy and Charcuterie, but haven’t done more than flip through Twenty so far. Was far too disappointed with Ratio to buy Twenty.

Ratio promised so much, but really just pointed out so much that I already knew. I admit I know more about cooking than most, but the essence of ratio was already known to me, and the recipes were simply basics that were already in several of my books. In addition there wasn’t a single recipe that inspired med to do anything (and there are far too many errors for a book of this size) new. Where as both The French Laundry (and Ad Hoc) and Charcuterie has been exceptionally inspiring.

To hammer the point home: This blog has inspired me time and time again, and thus an unlimited amount of times more that ratio ever has.

Anyhow; I now must have another look at Twenty (I know other foodies and food bloggers who love it) to see if perhaps it is time to once more turn to a Ruhlman book.

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:33:21 +0000

thanks all, but thomas,twenty is just good?! sheesh…

By: Jon in Albany

Jon in Albany — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:05:54 +0000

I’ve enjoyed a lot of your writing. I’ve read all of your food writing that I know about. I refer to Charcuterie the most often, but I’ve got to tell you that every year at the holidays, at least two people ask me for my sugar cookie recipe, which is really your sugar cookie recipe out of Ratio. Congratulations. And, please keep it up.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:23:00 +0000

I agree. Twenty is good and I’ve given 5 or 6 copies of it to friends. But Ratio, Charcuterie and The French Laundry are amazing.

Congrats on the award!

By: Why Awards Matter To Me | Shelterholic Now Food

Why Awards Matter To Me | Shelterholic Now Food — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:10:08 +0000

[...] On Trend: Macarons Why Awards Matter To Me Michael Ruhlman Mon, May 21, 2012 5:11 PM UTC Michael Ruhlman Rate this Loading … Share (function(){var [...]