The Tassajara Bread Book & Tassajara Cooking by Edward Espe Brown

In 1967, the San Francisco Zen Center purchased an 126-acre mountain property in the Ventana Wilderness near Big Sur and established the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the first Buddhist temple outside of Asia.

The head chef and baker at the centre was Edward Espe Brown, who developed his experiences while cooking at Tassajara into several books, including 'Tassajara Cooking' and 'The Tassajara Bread Book' with the aim of "...empowering people to cook, not just to follow recipes, but to cook—to see, smell, taste, touch, and to know one’s experience closely enough to act on it, to bring forth food."

Both books became became overnight classics. Brown's recipes for cooking—for learning to appreciate all the steps involved in making a meal, from selecting the ingredients to serving the finished dish—struck a chord with people who care about food and nutrition.

Tassajara Cooking - Published by Shambala, 1973 Softcover (First Edition)

The Tassajara Bread Book - Published by Shambala, 1974 Softcover