Eat More Plants. A Chef’s Journal

Eat More Plants. A Chef’s Journal is a collection of Daniel Humm’s drawings and handwritten thoughts charting the re-imagination of his acclaimed three-Michelin-Star restaurant Eleven Madison Park as wholly plant-based in 2021. Shaped by the seasonality underlying Humm’s cooking, the book is structured into a section each for spring, summer, fall and winter. His drawings are spontaneous and painterly, celebrating the bounty of predominantly local fruits and vegetables that inspires his creations—from familiar characters such as the carrot and cherry to the more exotic elderflower and matsutake mushroom. On the back of the drawings Humm has written notes on the ideas, beliefs and uncertainties behind his decision to re-invent (and risk) the 25-year story of Eleven Madison Park: “Our cooking should not conform to society, it should be a resolution / Most days we see endless possibility, some days fear clouds our vision / This isn’t just an artistic experiment, it’s our livelihood.” The result is a revealing visual diary of a chef dedicated to pro-planet values as the basis of fine dining, and the liberating realization that following traditions had been his greatest limitation.