An Architect's Cookbook

This book represents the first 16 years of Glen Coben's design agency. Coben has had the distinct pleasure of working with some of the world's greatest chefs - having had a front-row seat to witness the growth of "farm-to-table" cuisine, "molecular gastronomy," the burger craze, the Neapolitan pizza craze, the kale-ification of our consciousness, the paleo diet, the juice cleanse, and the rapid rise of food bloggers, social media, the 'foodie,' and the deification of chefs into rock stars. What has remained consistent is that the challenge of opening a restaurant has not become any easier. Whether the restaurant is a burger restaurant, a dive bar and taqueria, or a four-star grand Italian destination, the stakes are always high for each restaurateur or chef. They have investors, budgets, schedules and the desire to deliver their own vision of service and cuisine. Each design project is a journey to discover the soul of each project - to tell its story in an appropriate tone of voice that compliments each chef's vision. Coben's journey has taken him literally and metaphorically to Mexico, Strasbourg, Paris, Texas, California, the Islands, the Bronx, Queens, London, and all over Italy.