I confess, I didn’t know too much about the story behind Marque, Mark Best’s fine dining restaurant in New South Wales, Australia. All I knew was that Best was An Important Chef who ran one of the Best Restaurants in the World.
Best recounts the history of his restaurant in Marque: A Culinary Adventure. The book begins with an autobiography of sorts; Best explains his early childhood love of fresh, seasonal food and the bond it created among his family, but admits he had never considered becoming a chef. Instead, he began his professional life as an electrician. Boredom and a desire to open a restaurant prompted him and his wife Valerie to quit their jobs and jump into the evolving restaurant world in Sydney. He recounts his international foray into French cuisine, including an influential stage at L’Arpege, that eventually led him to open the contemporary French restaurant of his dreams.
While Best’s story (and a more abbreviated statement from Pasi Petanen, head chef at Marque) is enlightening, the book’s real power comes from the imagery. Amid the recipes are photos of Best and Petanen doing what they do best – commanding one of the best restaurants in the world. It’s easy to see why Marque has a reputation for excellence; if the passion of these chefs burns through a black-and-white photography with such intensity, one can only imagine what they are like during dinner service.
Everything about this tome exudes luxury: thick, silky paper; thoughtfully arranged text, and utterly gorgeous photography. Each recipe is accompanied with a full-page shot of the completed dish – or maybe it’s the other way around. Because truthfully, you will never cook these dishes. Any recipe that requires 2½ kilograms of tuna bones or requires one to make bonito flakes from scratch is not really meant to be made by the home cook.
Rather, these recipes accompany a stunning photo to help the reader better understand Best’s creative process and unrelenting dedication to truly elegant, innovative dishes. Think of them as an artist’s statement that better explains the composition before you – one you could actually taste, provided you can book a flight and a reservation any time soon.
Which chef’s story has most inspired you? Tell us in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Marque: A Culinary Adventure. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column. And now, we’d like to congratulate Joe, whose comment on last week’s By the Book column has won a copy of The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook. Joe, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew!
This article appears in December 2013.