Synopses & Reviews
“Wild Abundance captures the time-honored Southern hunting camp experience in stunning photographs and moving descriptions by some of my very favorite chefs. I was immediately reminded of the tales my grandfather told of his duck hunting exploits, and I can still taste the magic his cook worked with the bounty he brought home. Happily, there is also plenty of magic on these pages. This book is a real gift to anyone who loves the South and its traditions and, above all, good food.”JULIA REED
Author of The House on First Street and Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties“Fighting Bayou is the best place in the world for unbelievable duck hunting, fabulous Southern cooking and listening to great stories from true characters. I always cherish my time at this special place.”ELI MANNING“In wonderful photography and delicious recipes, Wild Abundance offers a rare glimpse into one of the nation’s hidden worlds, the South’s venerable hunting clubs where time has stood still, where the primordial face-off between humans and nature continues and where the cooking remains some of the finest to be found.”MOLLY O’NEILL
Author of One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking“Along with visions of some of my Southern chef friends having the time of their lives, the spirit of the South is what lives on in the timeless anthology Wild Abundance. The winter bird hunt, a Southern rite of passage, is usually a private time with close friends and family – coming together to break bread and share in the ancient ritual of hunting for sustenance. While plenty of strong drink brings out a Roman feasting element, all is bound by a Southern sense of hospitality and gracious sharing. It brings an almost spiritual side to the predawn winter night – freezing cold, nervous with anticipation – all captured on these glorious pages with chefs, camp cooks and good buddies. I wish I were there. Well, next winter, let’s go. But until then, Wild Abundance will happily do.”FRANK STITT
Chef, author and owner of Highlands Bar and Grill“Louisiana and the southern United States are uniquely poised at the apex of the Mississippi flyway, and every autumn finds sportsmen ready for another season in the blind. While fielding wild fowl is a birthright in the South, being named camp cook is a privilege and honor bestowed upon few. Yes, sportsmen live for crisp mornings on the marsh, but perhaps most cherished are the culinary masterpieces created at spectacular mansions in the marsh such as Richard Zuschlag’s Grande View Lodge in Creole, Louisiana, and in fabulous cookbooks like Wild Abundance.”CHEF JOHN FOLSE
Host of PBS’ A Taste of Louisiana and author of After the Hunt
Review
“Being just south of where I grew up, I felt right at home in this environment, as if I were in a room of my uncles.” - Donald Link
“It’s by far not the fanciest group of buildings I’ve ever seen, but the setting and the romance of hunting at Bayou Club is priceless.” - John Besh
“Fighting Bayou is the best place in the world for unbelievable duck hunting, fabulous Southern cooking and listening to great stories from true characters. I always cherish my time at this special place.”- Eli Manning
Wild Abundance captures the time-honored Southern hunting camp experience in stunning photographs and moving descriptions by some of my very favorite chefs. I was immediately reminded of the tales my grandfather told of his duck hunting exploits, and I can still taste the magic his cook worked with the bounty he brought home. Happily, there is also plenty of magic on these pages. This book is a real gift to anyone who loves the South and its traditions and, above all, good food.
--Julia Reed
Review
In wonderful photography and delicious recipes, Wild Abundance offers a rare glimpse into one of the nation’s hidden worlds, the South’s venerable hunting clubs where time has stood still, where the primordial face-off between humans and nature continues and where the cooking remains some of the finest to be found. Molly O'Neill
Review
Along with visions of some of my Southern chef friends having the time of their lives, the spirit of the South is what lives on in the timeless anthology Wild Abundance. The winter bird hunt, a Southern rite of passage, is usually a private time with close friends and family – coming together to break bread and share in the ancient ritual of hunting for sustenance. While plenty of strong drink brings out a Roman feasting element, all is bound by a Southern sense of hospitality and gracious sharing. It brings an almost spiritual side to the predawn winter night – freezing cold, nervous with anticipation – all captured on these glorious pages with chefs, camp cooks and good buddies. I wish I were there. Well, next winter, let’s go. But until then, Wild Abundance will happily do. Frank Stitt
Review
“Louisiana and the southern United States are uniquely poised at the apex of the Mississippi flyway, and every autumn finds sportsmen ready for another season in the blind. While fielding wild fowl is a birthright in the South, being named camp cook is a privilege and honor bestowed upon few. Yes, sportsmen live for crisp mornings on the marsh, but perhaps most cherished are the culinary masterpieces created at spectacular mansions in the marsh such as Richard Zuschlag’s Grande View Lodge in Creole, Louisiana, and in fabulous cookbooks like Wild Abundance.”
John Folse
Review
“Being just south of where I grew up, I felt right at home in this environment, as if I were in a room of my uncles.” - Donald Link
Review
“It’s by far not the fanciest group of buildings I’ve ever seen, but the setting and the romance of hunting at Bayou Club is priceless.” - John Besh
Review
“Fighting Bayou is the best place in the world for unbelievable duck hunting, fabulous Southern cooking and listening to great stories from true characters. I always cherish my time at this special place.”- Eli Manning
Review
Wild Abundance captures the time-honored Southern hunting camp experience in stunning photographs and moving descriptions by some of my very favorite chefs. I was immediately reminded of the tales my grandfather told of his duck hunting exploits, and I can still taste the magic his cook worked with the bounty he brought home. Happily, there is also plenty of magic on these pages. This book is a real gift to anyone who loves the South and its traditions and, above all, good food.
Julia Reed
Synopsis
Wild Abundance is a coffee table book with 250 stunning photographs celebrating the stories, spirit and traditions of Southern hunting clubs. It features over 70 recipes, appealing to camp cooks and home cooks alike. Through the voices of nine renowned chefs, Wild Abundance honors and documents the contribution of often-untrained cooks who create traditions and are important parts of the vitality of each club.
Synopsis
Historic interviews with members of 19 duck hunting clubs and over 200 extraordinary photographs by nationally recognized artist Murray Riss come together in First Shooting Light. With a forward written by Paul Tudor Jones, II, conservationist and chairman of both the Everglades Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, First Shooting Light is the perfect gift for outdoors enthusiasts and arts connoisseurs alike.
About the Author
It was so gratifying that these chefs put their time, energy, hearts and souls into this project. I was touched by their passion and their heartfelt commitment to pay tribute to the unsung cooks in the camps who are keeping an important culinary tradition alive.
The owners who opened these private clubs to us offered a rare glimpse into this world. They are all avid conservationists and devoted to preserving and caring for the land so that future generations can enjoy the fruits of the land.
Next time someone bemoans that they can’t think of anything to get a man or a hunter in their lives, I’ve got the perfect solution. In my travels, I’ve already heard from people who bought our first book, First Shooting Light, as a wedding gift or housewarming gift and can’t wait to give Wild Abundance. It’s the perfect coffee table book to showcase the soul and spirit of the South.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Susan Schadt
Introduction by Tommie DunavantJOHN BESH AT THE BAYOU CLUB
with Sylvia Hebert NolanALEX GRISANTI AT BLACKFISH
with Betty Jean WilliamsLEE RICHARDSON AT CIRCLE T
with Kevin ShockencyDEREK EMERSON AT FIGHTING BAYOU 98
with Rosie Mae Brown & Annie B. HoganDONALD LINK AT GRANDE VIEW LODGE
with Blair ZuschlagJOHN CURRENCE AT MALLARD REST
with Vera WilliamsKELLY ENGLISH AT MENASHA
with Rebecca SimsKAREN CARRIER AT QUAIL HOLLOW
with Emma LincolnMARTHA FOOSE AT WARD LAKE
with Chris Robinson