Restaurant reviewer and food critic John Batchelor profiles more than 40 well-established and up-and-coming chefs in western North Carolina to help you find and enjoy the region’s culinary gems. Drawing from personal interviews, Batchelor reveals each chef’s cooking philosophy, influences and personality. Each profile also includes a description of the restaurant, its ambience and sample menu items, color photographs of the chef and restaurant, and food recipes from each chef — such as Fried Green Tomatoes, Chocolate Steak, Prosciutto-Stuffed Pork Chops, Grilled Bison, Cornmeal-Crusted Trout, Jicama-Crusted Mahi-Mahi, Blueberry Semi Freddo, and Avocado-Jalapeno Ice Cream — formatted and tested for home cooks. Sidebars offer information about farms (mostly organic) that sell vegetables and meats to the public and recount stories of people who gave up successful careers to return to the land. Softcover, 338 pages, $19.95; or e-book, $9.99.

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