Patron Wayne Gisslen on Cookbooks as Textbooks and James Beard's Legacy

This month’s Patron spotlight features Wayne Gisslen, chef and renowned author of many seminal culinary textbooks used in education programs across the country, including Professional Cooking. Gisslen sat down with his wife Meg to tell us more about his culinary journey and why he is passionate about supporting the work of the James Beard Foundation (JBF).

JBF: Your book Professional Cooking is a seminal textbook that has been taught for many years in culinary programs across the U.S. Tell us more about your pathway to the culinary arts. 

Wayne Gisslen: I’ve always been interested in good food, even from the time I was a kid. I used to watch Julia Child’s program when I was in high school—it was one of my favorite TV shows! 

As a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in English Literature, I lived in a rooming house with a kitchen; most other residents were graduate students like me, but we also had many visiting professors and scholars from around the world who would stay there. Many of them liked to cook! I remember one visiting professor from Taiwan who would cook all sorts of wonderful things, and we would sit in the dining area and talk about the food and the culture. I remember another scholar from India that taught me some of the principles of Indian cooking. At the same time, I was inspired by the local food co-op, and was starting to learn about and cook with fresh fruits and vegetables that were new to me. One of the first cookbooks I bought was James Beard’s American Cookery, and it was an inspiration to me as I was exploring.

So, I found that while I was majoring in English literature, I was becoming more and more interested in food. After a few years  I left the graduate program and enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America. That started my professional journey in food, and after earning my degree, I moved to New York City to work, where I found a job with a food consulting company. I was approached by an editor looking for someone who could write an instructional cooking textbook. That was the genesis of Professional Cooking, and I’ve been writing about cooking ever since. 

I will say one more thing about my early years in New York, as I moved there during the time when James Beard was very active and influential. In the 70’s and 80’s in New York City, the foundation of professional cooking was really European—specifically French.  What was special about James Beard was his focus on American cooking—he really blazed new pathways in making American cooking as respected and honored as French. And that was very inspiring to me. 

JBF: So much of what we find across the country in our restaurants today is reflective of the diversity of our country. How has your appreciation of global food traditions been reflected in your writing? 

WG: My books are different from what we call “cookbooks,” which are essentially collections of recipes. My books are textbooks, and contain hundreds of recipes, but the recipes are not the core of the book. The core of the book is the science of cooking— what happens to proteins when you heat them, how do they change? What are the variables when dealing with various ingredients and how do you control or change them to get the results you want? My books are about understanding the underlying scientific reactions that result in various outcomes in food. 

Because of this approach, it’s really applicable to any sort of cooking regardless of cultural origin. Proteins react to heat in the same way regardless of whether you’re preparing them as part of a Chinese dish, an American dish, or a French dish. This is the essence of working as a professional cook—understanding how to control, create new ideas, develop new dishes and recipes. Once you learn the science, and you learn what we call the procedures for cooking, you can work with flavors to cook any type of cuisine.

JBF: You and your wife Meg recently joined us for the 2024 James Beard Awards weekend in Chicago. What were some of your takeaways from that experience?

WG: Cooking creates community! It’s such an important aspect of our culture, and I also go back to thinking about those days at the boarding house as a graduate student. All of this really came home to me during the Beard Awards weekend, and I was very impressed by that aspect of the Foundation’s work—furthering community through cooking.

A lot of our favorite moments from that weekend came around the simple but memorable experience of meeting and connecting with other people who are passionate about food —other supporters, Awards [nominees], and professionals in the industry. Whether it was at the reception following the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony, or at the Patron Member Reception, connecting over our shared interests was a powerful experience. And this idea of food as a connector needs to be further explored—I was struck by how culturally diverse the audience was at the Awards, and how we were all coming together in community. It was a unifying and inspiring experience.

JBF: What are other ways you continue to stay connected to culinary community in your daily life? And as a resident of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, do you have any favorite local restaurants you’d like to shout out?

WG: My job consists primarily of sitting at my desk and writing, so for Meg and me, going out to eat, meeting chefs, getting to know their staff, is a really important point of connection. Just last night we went out to one of the most recognized restaurants in Minneapolis; we hadn’t been there for quite a while, but the manager still recognized us and spent some time with us. We really enjoy that sort of connection and community and the opportunity to share ideas and cultural connections through food. 

As for favorite spots, there are so many wonderful restaurants in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I hate to choose one and not mention so many others! I will say that one favorite for us is Chloe by Vincent Francoual. He is a wonderful chef that we have followed for many years and Chloe is his latest venture.

Learn more and join our Patron Program.

--

Jaime-Faye Bean is vice president of Development at the James Beard Foundation.