Inmates can:
. Learn how to cook in prison, and apply those gourmet skills on the outside later.
. Be inspired by the possibilities of a restaurant career. Restaurant owners often overlook prison records of hard workers with some kitchen skills.
. Find the act of cooking food provides a sense of comfort, accomplishment and self-esteem.
. As a good cook, gain standing in the inmate community.
. Be engaged in a positive, healthy activity making something they are proud of.
. Enjoy praise from fellow inmates (and staff) for the product of their labor.
. Earn "currency" for cooking custom items on request.
. Learn about American and international cuisine and common foreign food terms.
. Learn how to make the best of what's available at the commissary.
. Learn what foods and utensils are legally allowed sent in from outside.
. Feel useful and worthwhile, while alleviating boredom.
. Experience the comfort of cooking and eating away from the mess hall.
. Enjoy special Holiday Recipes for Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas. Artie says:Â
. "Because we're incarcerated doesn't mean we can't celebrate the holidays in style".Â
 And
. Never have to eat another spread!
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Rudely eloquent and irreverent this is a quirky journey of physical and emotional survival.Â
A 262 page, no-holds-barred tell-all about a stubborn, plucky, resolute chef's passion to cook and eat well in prison. Â It's part story, manual, food survival handbook, humor and inspiration. Chapters include: Breakfast Items; Soups & Entrees; Taste of Spain; Asian Corner; Little Italy; Some Sauces & A Few Extras; Desserts & Sweet Things, and an unexpected Holiday Menu chapter with sumptuous dishes for a prison Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas: Pineapple-Glazed Baked Ham; BBQ Fried Chicken; Roast Garlic Whipped Potatoes; Candied Yams; Caramelized Onion & Corn Stuffing; Apple Orange Cranberry Sauce; Cookie Crusted Pumpkin Pie; and so much more.Â
Chef Artie reveals how to navigate cooking in the prison system with: Equipment to Make Your Cooking Life Easier; Food Items Sold at My Commissary; Food and Utensils My Facilities Allowed Sent in From Outside; and Typical Foods I Requested From Home.Â
These recipes can also be made in school dorms, RVs, on camping trips, at home, and any place without a proper kitchen.Â
Artie's survival mantra "No oven? No stove? No problem!" strengthened his resolve to eat well in prison - even in the 'Box'. Cooking was a daily dare. Self preservation equaled gang protection in exchange for dinner on the table. He proudly followed the Marine credo: 'Improvise, Adapt, Overcome'. Inmates passing Artie's area were astounded to see fresh pasta hanging to dry, a white sheet thrown over a locker as a dining table, a centerpiece of cell-made garlic bread sticks, and bowls of mouthwatering food.Â
So hold onto your toque, grab your apron, and take a wild ride with Chef Artie as he weaves his magic with these prisoner recipes.Â
