In Celebrating the Pleasures of Cooking, Chuck Williams warmly shares 150 of the best recipes he has adapted or developed as both keen observer and driving force in American food. Divided into chapters by decade and illustrated with 40 full-color photographs, the recipes form a singular chronicle of our cooking and eating habits, including our first forays into classic French cuisine in the late 1950s, our late discovery of French provincial cooking, our growing interest in the Mediterranean kitchen, and our present-day affinity for the simpler culinary pleasures. Chuck Williams complements his recipes with insightful, warmhearted anecdotes and observations. Woven throughout the decades are personal recollections and favorite quotes from the works of such culinary greats as James Beard, Julia Child, Elizabeth David and Marcella Hazan.