Canyon Cafe, Sam's Cafe & Desert Fire: Bringing the Southwest Experience Home

I like the book but the center pages were coming out when I first looked at the book. It said brand new but was falling apart when I received it.

Great recipes but be sure to read them carefully as I have found missing ingredients which make a key part to making the dish turn out right. Only wish it had their awesome salsa recipe.

Awesome!!!

I bought this cookbook a long time ago at a cooking class taught by one of the Canyon Cafe chefs. The local restaurant manager, who was there that night, explained that the company asked each of their chefs if they'd like to contribute recipes for a cookbook, and the chefs were thrilled! These recipes obviously come from professionals who thoroughly tested their stuff before writing it up. I cooked about half the recipes in this book and have had rave reviews for all. The 'chile mashed potatoes' is an absolute winner. Of all the cook books on my bookshelf (and there are a LOT), I use this one far more frequently than the rest. If there's any criticism I can think of, its that 1.)These are likely scaled down from the batch sizes they make in the restaurant. So 'serves 6' is more like 'serves 10 with some left over'. 2.) This is a skinny little cookbook. I really wish it had more recipes, or maybe a sequel. 3.) The cookbook has a list of contributors at the back but doesn't really say who contributed what (so much for developing 'cult-like-followings' for the chefs). I'm now trying to find a re-sale copy for a friend.

I worked for Canyon Cafe in my teens as a Hostess and the food was so amazing!!! Employees got 50% off the food and rest assure, I took full advantage. The fact I found this book brings tears of joy now that I'm 31 and still recall the delicious smells, fresh ingredients, and the amazing taste of Canyon Cafe food. My time there was memorable and will always have a special place in my heart. You were cool as hell Kevin (as long as you weren't in one of your moods).