The Gourmet Garage started as a supplier of fresh and exotic ingredients to the chefs and restaurateurs of New York, then became a retailing leg when it opened its doors to the public in 1992. Now, award-winning cookbook authors Sheryl and Mel London and the experts of the Gourmet Garage show you how to select from the dizzying array of ingredients, transforming them into simple, healthful, wonderful meals in your own kitchen. Unlike other cookbooks, The Gourmet Garage Cookbook is organized by ingredient and takes you through every section of a specialty food store that's one step away from the farmer. Of particular interest to the home cook are the "Shop Smart" tips in each chapter, which tell the reader how to choose the best and freshest products in the marketplace, and "Notes for the Cook," containing dozens of helpful hints for making the most out of those ingredients.