Go behind the kitchen doors of America's finest culinary institutes and learn how to prepare dishes like Pan-Seared Sea Bass Puttanesca and Roasted Banana Tiramisu from the instructors themselves--experts in teaching classical cuisine. The recipes are complete with notes from each chef emphasizing crucial points of preparation, and are paired with gorgeous black-and-white photographs and step-by-step illustrations on techniques like butterflying a tenderloin or plating the final dish. In addition to opening their kitchens, these chefs open their hearts, revealing how to create truly innovative food. The author, an accomplished writer and photographer as well as a passionate cook, embarked on this project while attending a grueling fifteen-month culinary program. With a camera and tape recorder in one hand and a sauté pan in the other, the aspiring chef captured inspiration from twenty-eight chef instructors, ranging from an ex-record producer who cooked for Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston to the son of a Secret Service interpreter whose childhood was spent at Jacques Pepin's elbow in the White House kitchen. She takes us on the journey, offering an inside look at attending a culinary school. The recipes, the techniques, the lessons on food and life, and portraits of the chefs are all here, in a package that combines elegance and practicality.