Come In, We're Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World's Best Restaurants

Peer behind the “closed” sign in the world’s greatest restaurants, and you may glimpse a packed table whose seats are elusive even to the most in-the-know diner: the daily staff meal. This insider’s look goes behind the scenes to share the one-of-a-kind dishes professional cooks feed each other.

Join authors Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy as they share these intimate staff meal traditions, including exclusive interviews and never-before-recorded recipes, from twenty-five iconic restaurants including: Ad Hoc in Napa, California; Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain; The Fat Duck in London, England; McCrady's in Charleston, South Carolina; Uchi in Austin, Texas; Michel et Sébastien Bras in Laguiole, France; wd-50 in New York City, New York, and many more.

Enjoy more than 100 creative and comforting dishes made to sate hunger and nourish spirits, like skirt steak stuffed with charred scallions; duck and shrimp paella; beef heart and watermelon salad; steamed chicken with lily buds; Turkish red pepper and bulgur soup; homemade tarragon and cherry soda; and buttermilk doughnut holes with apple-honey caramel glaze. It’s finally time to come in from the cold and explore the meals that fuel the hospitality industry; your place has been set.

There is a part of every restaurant that's out of reach to even the most sophisticated diner: the staff meal. This insider's look, two years in the making, goes behind the scenes to explore what some of the world's best restaurants are feeding their own before the doors open to the public each night. Twenty-five powerhouses like Ad Hoc in Napa, California; Dill in Reykjavík, Iceland; The Fat Duck in London; Frasca in Denver, Colorado; Uchi in Austin, Texas; Michel Bras in Laguiole, France; and wd-50 in New York

City are sharing some of their best-kept secrets!

From ultra-crispy fried chicken to meltingly tender carnitas to flavorful vegetable soups, homemade hot sauce, gumbo with local shrimp, and more, each dish brings your favorite restaurant home. More than 150 recipes and at least 300 photos complete the book.

Christine Carroll traded in a career as a scientist for the life of a line cook nearly a decade ago while living in England. Since then, she has graduated from the French Culinary Institute, tested recipes for Saveur, and served as Director of the Bowery Culinary Center for Whole Foods Market Manhattan. A contributor to Edible D.C., she also founded CulinaryCorps, the nation's first volunteer service organization for culinary professionals. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and toddler.

Jody Eddy is the author of www.jodyeddy.com and contributes to several print and web publications including Food Arts, Plate Magazine, Culinary Trends, and Kinfolk Magazine. She has cooked in the kitchens of Jean Georges, Tabla and The Fat Duck and is an instructor at several culinary schools throughout America. She is the former Executive Editor of Art Culinaire Magazine and is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. She lives in New Jersey.