Book excerpt: « François Perret is a magician of taste. [His] madeleine . . . is a masterpiece. » — Pierre Hermé What happens when François Perret — the world-renowned pastry chef at the Ritz Paris — leaves behind his state-of-the-art kitchen to compete in a Los Angeles food truck competition ? Trading in his chef’s toque for a baseball cap, chef Perret roamed central California in his food truck, sampling fresh produce and culinary specialties with local growers and chefs. His encounters inspired him to reinterpret American classic recipes including s’mores, tacos, donuts, and cookies. His experience, seemingly an inversion of the Ratatouille story, culminates into the perfect fusion of French pastry technique and the sunny flavors of California. Chef François Perret first shared his adventures in the Netflix series The Chef in a Truck, and this volume — part travel journal, part recipe book — recounts his unique culinary journey. It shows readers once again that food is truly a shared international language that builds bridges across cultures.