Throughout a groundbreaking, nearly 40-year career, Mary Sue Milliken (b. 1958) finds the key to her success in following her insatiable curiosity. Milliken is an American chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and radio and TV personality with a focus on Latin cuisine in the United States. After working together in Chicago and Paris, Milliken and her longtime collaborator, Susan Feniger (b. 1953), settled in Los Angeles where they founded the critically acclaimed City Cafe in 1981. They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Avenue, renaming the establishment CITY Restaurant. In 1985, they opened the Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the original City Cafe space, before moving it to Santa Monica in 1990. The restaurant later expanded to Pasadena (closed) and the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Broadening their culinary horizons, Milliken and her partner opened Ciudad in Los Angeles in 1998. The success of the three restaurants has often led Milliken and Feniger to be recognized for single-handedly changing Los Angeles' culinary landscape. In collaboration with Feniger and others, Milliken has published five cookbooks: City Cuisine (1989), Mesa Mexicana (1994), Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking (1996), Cooking with Too Hot Tamales (1997) and Mexican Cooking for Dummies (1999/2002). She was the co-recipient of the 2018 Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts.
Like their restaurant, this recipe collection offers a magical mix – from bright new interpretations of European classics to exotic Asian tastes boldly re-created for the American table. Expect the unexpected in CITY CUISINE with chapters on city sandwiches, adult nonalcoholic drinks; spicy foods in every denomination; vegetarian entrees; pasta in salads and sauces; great healthy salads and one-dish meals; quickly grilled meats and fish; and hearty, slowly simmered stews. CITY CUIISINE brings the big city to life with easy-to-follow recipes presented in the clear appealing style of these two talented and dynamic chefs.