If I were to describe the sort of restaurant I see in my dreams, it would be Camino: high ceilings, long communal tables where everyone sits and eats and enjoys meals together, and a great big fireplace with a roaring fire in the hearth. Russell is a true and uncompromising purist: in the way he so beautifully envisions a space for people to gather; in the herbs, vegetables, and meats he buys from the local farmers and ranchers; and in the straightforward, delicious way he cooks. Russell and Allison have created something extraordinary, and this book captures the heartbeat of the restaurant—its energy, creativity, community, and of course, its beautiful food.
— Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse and author of The Art of Simple Food
This Is Camino could not be more true to its name: it draws you in, and you can really feel the heart of the restaurant as you turn the pages. The book gives a beautiful glimpse into Russ and Allison’s rustic, earthy approach—the very thing that makes Camino so exceptional.
— April Bloomfield, chef and author of A Girl and Her Pig and A Girl and Her Greens
In chapter 1 you learn everything you need to know before cooking everything that follows in chapters 2–11. So many gems from the generous hands and minds of Camino—elegant Northern Californian–style food from our part of the West Coast.
— Chad Robertson, co-owner of Tartine and author of Tartine Bread
Whatever shows up on the menu at Camino, I want to eat: tangles of garlicky bitter greens; vibrant sauces of fresh herbs; charred, succulent meats; and desserts that take a spin around the globe. Russ Moore shares his recipes and stories so anyone can recreate the foods of Camino at home, all filled with the earthy, seductive flavors that come out of his kitchen. This is my favorite cookbook of the year!
— David Lebovitz, author of My Paris Kitchen
Russ is that rare chef who has talent, knowledge, grace, humor, and principles. When he speaks of sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry, he doesn’t just talk the talk—he lives it. His cooking is brilliant, he cares deeply about the details, and he is a natural teacher. Even if you never venture into live-fire meals or nose-to-tail butchery, you’ll want this book. There is genius in these pages.
— David Tanis, author of One Good Dish
Camino is a lively, inviting restaurant with a primal open fire at its heart. And then there is Russ’s cooking, which is unexpected, singular, and totally comforting. This Is Camino communicates all this in a way which will change how you bring people together in your homes to have fun and eat well.
— Ignacio Mattos, chef of Estela restaurant
Russell Moore is the ninja of California live-fire cooking, although you already knew that, or should have. Camino, which he runs with his wife and co-author Allison Hopelain, is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. But when you read this book, what emerges is the soul of a principled cook—one who would never ask you to use a vegetable without suggesting what you might do with the part you might otherwise throw away; someone who packs as much kitchen wisdom into a single footnote as most authors need an entire book to explain. This Is Camino is easily the most important chef’s book to come out of the Bay Area since Judy Rodgers’s Zuni Café Cookbook almost fifteen years ago.
— Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize–winning restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times
“Somehow in this magical and very personal book Russ and Allison have managed to convey Russ’s delicious, soulful, and ‘dogmatically flexible’ style onto the page. This book most certainly IS Camino and most definitely belongs in your kitchen!
— Suzanne Goin, chef and author of Sunday Suppers at Lucques and The A.O.C. Cookbook
I love how this book was written. Every time you crack open this book it is like you are having a conversation with Russ and Allison, who happen to be complete geniuses. The food at Camino is strikingly simple but also incredibly complex. It’s modern but also ancient. It’s punk, and it’s also your mom’s stew. Like all the best things in life, it’s two things at once.
— The Selby, photographer, director, and illustrator
It is impossible to imagine how one translates the beauty which is Camino into a book. Somehow, Allison and Russ’s labor of love shines through every image and every recipe… And now I’m off to make their herb jam.
— Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty More, and co-author of Jerusalem and Nopi
“What’s important but is impossible to describe is the strength and utter brilliance of his flavor combinations and the downright simplicity of it all. Moore has a palate that cannot be stopped; everything tastes as if it were created to go with everything seasoning it.”
— Mark Bittman, the New York Times
