Field Notes for Food Adventure

Join Brad Leone, star of Bon Appétit's hit YouTube series It's Alive, for a year of cooking adventures, tall tales, and fun with fire and fermentation in more than 80 ingenious recipes.

Come along with Brad Leone as he explores forests, fields, rivers, and the ocean in the hunt for great food and good times. These pages are Brad’s field notes from a year of adventures in the Northeast, getting out into nature to discover its bounty, and capturing memorable ideas for making delicious magic at home anytime.

He taps maple trees to make syrup, and shows how to use it in surprising ways. He forages for ramps and mushrooms, and preserves their flavors for seasons to come. He celebrates the glory of tomatoes along with undersung fruits of the sea like squid and seaweed. Inspiration comes from hikes into the woods, trips to the dock, and cooking poolside in the dead of summer. And every dish has a signature Brad Leone approach—whether that’s in Sous Vide Mountain Ribs or Spicy Smoked Tomato Chicken, Sumac Lemonade or Fermented Bloody Marys, Cold Root Salad, Marinated Beans, or just a few shakes of a Chile Hot Sauce that’s dead simple to make.

This is a book about experimentation, adventure, fermentation, fire, and having fun while you’re cooking. And hey, you might just learn a thing or two. Let’s get going!

New York Times Bestseller • A Food52 Best Cookbook of the Year