David Tanis

I've never met him, but David Tanis, a chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, has inspired me nonetheless. I first read about him in an article in the November 2005 issue of SAVEUR, which was about a meal that he made in that city, where he lives for half the year. He described preparing roast pork with fennel, garlic, and herbs. The dish seemed as if it would be hard to make, but Tanis made it easy; I followed his instructions, and the results were wonderful. It gave me the confidence to keep trying new things in the kitchen. When Tanis's cookbook A Platter of Figs (Workman, 2008) came out, I bought it right away. The book, which is really about the pleasures of making and eating meals with family and friends, has many simple and elegant recipes, and it makes me want to cook. Just as with the roasted pork, his rabbit in mustard sauce, seemed more demanding than anything I'd normally cook. I'd never thought of cooking rabbit that way, but it's now one of my favorite dishes to make. —Elena Zovatto, Hamilton, Ontari__o