Tim Ferriss Wants You To Spend Less Time Cooking, More Time Eating

By Billy Lyons

On a night filled with dishes prepared by the likes of ABC Kitchen’s Dan Kluger and Riverpark’s Sisha Ortúzar, it was best-selling author culinary novice Timothy Ferriss’ lamb osso “buko” that garnered the most attention (though the steamed branzino with romanesco crafted by Ortúzar came in at a close second with the diners at our table). Ferriss, who admitted he had “always been intimidated by food...and food people,” jumped headfirst into a world known for knives and flames with the launch of The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life.

A guide for those who really want to prepare restaurant caliber food but lose all interest when the word whisking appears, the book’s message, which aims to go beyond the kitchen, can be summed up in the following way: less time cooking, more time eating. Kluger, Ortúzar, and Hearth's Marco Canora were on hand last week at Riverpark to celebrate Ferriss' new focus (The author also wrote similar tomes like the 4-Hour Workweek). Each of these chefs helped the author get over that intimidation and fulfill his speedy culinary vision. Because let's face it, when your book is designed to help rookie gourmands step up to the grill, you're going to have to consult with a team of award-winning chefs who have a whole lot more than four hours of experience in the kitchen. When you're Tim Ferriss, you're lucky enough to call those award winning chefs friends (proposed next title: 4-Hour Celebrity BFFs).

Referencing his experience training with award winning chefs that “allowed me to disgrace myself” in their kitchens, Ferriss noted his latest 4-hour offering was the one he was most proud of and worked the hardest for. Judging by a few bites of his dish, it's also the most delicious. His connection within the food community will certainly come in handy, as a number traditional retailers are refusing to carry the title in store due to a disagreement with Amazon Publishing centered around exclusivity agreements with their authors.

The 4-Hour Chef is currently available for purchase here. Not sure what the new model says about the future of publishing, but if anything, less time waiting in line at bookstores means more time eating, right?