A culinary pioneer talks shop, shares war stories in ‘Out of the Oven’

If the musings of one of the world’s most influential chefs is of interest, a new newsletter on Substack may be what you seek.

In “Out of the Oven” (jeremiahtower.substack.com), Jeremiah Tower, who established his reputation as a culinary innovator with his 1970s stint as executive chef at Alice Waters’ legendary Berkeley, Calif., bistro Chez Panisse, offers up a weekly selection from his considerable personal archives, among them his writings, photos, videos, menus and other visual materials on eating, cooking and travel. And there are stories, lots of stories.

This, after all, is a man who lived the life of a celebrity chef before there was such a thing. Recognized worldwide for his innovative approach to Northern California cuisine, Tower left Chez Panisse to open his own San Francisco eatery Stars in the 1980s. Along the way, he plated meals for everyone from the rich and famous to local fishermen and by his own admission was an enthusiastic participant in the drug culture that permeated the industry and helped fuel his own creativity.

In all, there is about a terabyte’s worth of information to share and there are paid and free subscriptions. So whether you’re a foodie or just a lover of entertaining stories, “Out of the Oven” might be worth checking out.

Here are a few other celebrity chef newsletters to be found on Substack.

“Andrew Zimmern’s Spilled Milk” (andrewzimmern.substack.com): The “Bizarre Foods” host and four-time James Beard Award-winning chef started this newsletter in December 2021 with the idea of connecting more personally with his community, which he does here through online conversation, recipes, videos and other content. The subscription is free though there is an option to pay.

“Longer Tables With Jose Andres” (joseandres.substack.com): In today’s divided climate, the Spanish-American chef, restaurateur, author and World Central Kitchen founder wants to bring people together. So in this newsletter, he shares stories that show how food connects us and explores our shared food history and food future. He also answers cooking questions, posts interviews with his foodie heroes and shares video postcards from his travels. Subscriptions range from free to $150 annually.

“Ruth Reichl: La Briffe” (ruthreichl.substack.com): For many years, Reichl was a food critic for The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times and she misses her readers. So she created this free newsletter “about cooking, eating and making life more delicious” to reconnect with them.