The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

Fiction - 4 stars

In her debut novel, Erica Bauermeister creates a captivating story in which the main character, respected chef and restaurateur Lillian, finds and then tries to instill love and know-how of the sensual and healing aspects of food in others.  Through a season of Monday evening cooking classes in her restaurant, she teaches her students to look inside for inspiration and "feel the food" that they want to make. The novel also highlights the story of each of her students, sometimes painful and sometimes not. Bauermeister's words seduce the senses, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this quick and satifying read. While this would be the perfect book club selection for adults, I think anyone with an interest in cooking or food would love it.