My Nepenthe

From the family behind Big Sur’s Nepenthe, “an intimate, richly illustrated memoir with recipes culled from the restaurant's sixty years.” (Gourmet magazine)

In celebration of Nepenthe Restaurant’s seventieth anniversary comes a revised edition of My Nepenthe, featuring not only delicious recipes from the legendary restaurant, but stories and photographs that capture its history and people. Written by the owners' granddaughter, Romney Steele, My Nepenthe is as much about the family enterprise as it about the Fassett family legacy.

Perched 808 feet above the Pacific Ocean on the breathtaking cliffs of Highway 1 in Big Sur, California, Nepenthe boasts sweeping views of the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains and the wild south coast of Monterey County. This breathtaking location is nestled among native oak trees and historic log cabins that were once owned by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. The vibrant history is brought to life through archival black-and-white and contemporary color photography by Sara Remington; a collection of eighty-five recipes; stories about the restaurant’s past as a gathering place for artists and writers; and special sections on the filming of The Sandpiper (1965), which featured scenes from Nepenthe’s iconic terrace, as well as Nepenthe’s relationship with the renowned Pisoni winemaking family. Ultimately, My Nepenthe is a story about food, family, and the culture of place.

“A very special book about a very special place.” —Michael Pollan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food

“My Nepenthe serves a big, gorgeous slice of American culture that I loved visiting through words and memory.” —Deborah Madison, James Beard award-winning author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone