Julia Child may be the most famous home chef to bring French cooking to the American masses, but food writer Richard Olney's substantial culinary contributions are not to be overlooked! A small-town boy from Iowa, he settled in Provence (by way of New York) in the 1950s and made a name for himself as a purveyor of classic French recipes favored not by high-end Parisian restaurants but rather by villagers making the most of local bounty. Hailed as “a book for all people and all times,” Simple French Food has been a classic since its publication in 1974, thanks to such recipes as fresh fig and mint salad, vegetable terrine, rolled fines-herbes omelet, Breton chowder, stuffed mussels, eggplant gratin, marinated roast leg of lamb, saffron rabbit stew with cucumbers, Provençal chicken pilaf, apple tart, and dozens more. Even if “gratin of calves' brains with sorrel” never earns a spot on your weekly menu, Olney's ruminations on French life and classic cooking techniques provide delicious reading for foodies of all appetites!