Michael Roberts was known for his audacious flavor combinations: shellfish and vanilla, peas and lime, or pickled pumpkin. His skills at combining flavors were on display at Trumps, his West Hollywood restaurant. Late night, he would amuse celebrities and guests by creating appetizing dishes from perversely mixed fresh ingredients that friends would bring in from California farms. I had never heard of Trumps or Roberts until I stumbled on his cookbook Secret Ingredients in a used bookstore.…

Harold McGee did not use a Mac to write the first edition of his On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen. It was 1984 and the term molecular gastronomy was yet to be introduced and it would be four years before the New York Times would write about sous vide. I bought my copy in 1992 and read it cover-to-cover. Every day cooking made into science.…