About this item
Out of the Frying Pan is an empowering memoir that traces Gillian Clark's rise from a beginner to a top chef. But managing a kitchen also taught her about parenting. With a wealth of experience and wisdom, and a healthy dash of humor, Gillian now shares her life's recipes, from the solutions she cooked up for parenting challenges to her favorite culinary creations. In the prime of her life, Gillian Clark abandoned the corporate world to pursue her passion---making mouthwatering food with fresh, homegrown ingredients. When she became a single parent with two young daughters, though, Gillian had to reconsider her dreams. Moving to the country and running a small, artisanal farm were put on the back burner---supporting her family had to come first. But Gillian's drive to make delicious food was relentless. She finished her culinary degree, survived the tedious prep work of her first cooking job and the difficulty of training during the day and raising two girls at night, and confronted the challenges of working her way up from the bottom in a profession where only the strongest survive. Beating intense odds, Gillian is now head chef and proprietor of the successful and popular Colorado Kitchen, which is ranked among the top 100 restaurants in Washington, D.C. This puts her simple caf in the company of the city's finest dining establishments.Touching and joyful, Out of the Frying Pan rivals any parenting book and is also chock-full of more than forty delicious recipes, from her first "soup of the day" to her family's Sunday brunch waffles---even the pink medicine placebo she whipped up for one of her daughters. Her inspirational advice on how she raised her daughters while never giving up her dream is a gem for parents and foodies alike and will fit at just about any table.
About the Author
Chef Gillian Clark has built a strong national reputation as a no nonsense interpreter of classic American cuisine. After working for almost 11 years in publishing and communications, Gillian answered a life-long calling to cooking. She graduated from L'Academie de Cuisine in 1995. As chef at many of the areas top restaurants--Evening Star, Mrs. Simpson's, Broad Street Grille, Breadline--she has become a culinary talent who has captured the attention of food lovers and critics nationwide. She opened her own restaurant, Colorado Kitchen in 2001 and proved that people will travel to a tiny, out of the way spot for incredible food and a restaurant where American cuisine is alive and well. The little restaurant with a huge following has been featured on The Food Network, local and national media, including the New York Times. The General Store and Post Office Tavern is Gillian's seventh restaurant opening--her second as Chef and Owner. This time Gillian's focus is on America road food. The General Store features comfort food for the traveler. Except on Sunday's where Gillian entertains diners with her Sunday Dinner flights of fancy--Lobster Newburg, Veal Scallopini--classic, sit-down meals. Gillian shares her philosophy on food, culture, and society with listeners of National Public Radio in her regular commentaries on NPR's Weekend Edition. She is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and a published author. Out of the Frying Pan--a memoir and cookbook is published by Thomas Dunne Press. Gillian is currently working on a second food memoir, Not Done, Not Done, Not Done--Burnt.
