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The subtitle says it best: “This is a collection of recipes, stories and cooking lessons from a pioneer of California cuisine.” As much a memoir as a recipe book, this book describes the history of a family as well as a cooking movement. Sally Schmitt is best known as a pioneering chef and the founder of the French Laundry, a legendary Northern California restaurant which is now owned and operated by Thomas Keller, who owes it all to Sally as he says in the forward, “She is our original cofounder, our original cook and guiding light.” The “Six Kitchens” of the book’s title refer to the six kitchens that shaped Sally into a self-taught cook who changed the way we eat, beginning with her mother’s kitchen in 1932 and ending with her Elk Cottage. Sadly, Sally passed away in March 2022, just a month before the book was released in April 2022. In addition to recipes, the book contains a detailed timeline combining both personal and professional highlights, private family photos as well as food shots taken expressly for the book, wonderful commentary from Sally that amplifies many of the recipes, a list of basic must-have ingredients, and a sense of family that permeates throughout. Sally had five children who assisted her professionally during the course of her life, as well as grandchildren, children-in-law, and close friends who became like family. A key element of the book is Sally’s honest and experienced advice that makes reading the book like having Sally at your elbow. One thing to keep in mind is that these are Sally’s recipes, and they are a chronicle of the time period when she was cooking for the hordes who clamored for distinctive California cuisine. Today many people won’t chose to prepare (or eat) her duck or veal recipes. But there are so many other recipes to inspire you. Overall this is a heartwarming book that captures a life and a treasury of food memories.