Story Smorgasbord

Food is a constant in our lives. It’s a basic need like oxygen, but not one we fulfill without thought or opinion. The type of food we eat, the people we share it with, all of this occupies a huge place in our experience of the world. Naturally, restaurants are a popular element in stories of all kinds.

At the library, we have romances from saccharine to bittersweet. “A Dash of Salt and Pepper” by Kosoko Jackson (FIC Jac) has all the right ingredients: a chef down on his luck returns to his hometown, only to clash with his hot new boss. In T.J. Alexander’s “Chef’s Choice” (FIC Alexander), a young man and his fake girlfriend must perfect his family’s recipes to inherit his grandfather’s culinary fortune. A separated couple reunites as they negotiate the future of their children and their restaurant in “Before I Let Go” by Kennedy Ryan (FIC Rya).

Perhaps you prefer a satisfying mystery. The chefs at “The Restaurant of Lost Recipes” by Hisashi Kashiwai (FIC Kashiwai) investigate meals from their customers’ pasts, reuniting hungry people with the flavors they never thought they’d taste again. A teacher at a culinary school must clear his name in Orlando Murrin’s “Knife Skills for Beginners” (FIC Murrin Paul v.1). In “The Family Chao” by Lan Samantha Chang (FIC Cha), the family behind a beloved local restaurant feels the town turn on them when their father is murdered.

Looking for something with a kick? “A History of Violence” (DVD FIC His) pits a diner owner against the mob, who may have more reason to target him than he’s let on. In “The Menu” (DVD FIC Men) a renowned chef invites a small group to a remote island to partake in an elaborate meal. Horror stories as told by a group of chefs are richly illustrated in “Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts” (GN FIC Bou).

For a how-to that gets into the crunchy details, try “Catering: A Guide to Managing a Successful Business Operation” by Bruce Mattel (642.4 Mat). Michael Cecchi-Azzolina’s memoir “Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D’” (921 Ceccchi-Azzolina, M.) takes you behind closed doors at some of the most sought-after restaurants in town. The documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” (DVD 641.5092 Jir JAP) follows the world’s oldest living Michelin star chef, Jiro Ono, who will be 100 this year.

You can find all of these and more currently on display on the second floor of the library this month. The library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.