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I'd like to thank all those who worked on developing and testing recipes, including Denise Michelson and Miranda Kany. Miranda Kany labored over the recipes to get them in shape; her hands also appear in some of the pictures. Laurie Knoop helped me keep organized during periods of impending chaos. Alice Piacenza, whose lovely hands grace these pages cannot be thanked enough for her hard work, support, and encouragement. It was often a team of only the two of us producing the photography for this book and she was my muse. I'd also like to thank the gentlemen at Fish Tales for their generosity and willingness to track down exotic seafood, and my butcher, Los Paisanos, who'll finally see what all my weird special requests were about. Thanks, too, to Eli Engelson-Mintz, whose hands also appear from time to time. Thanks to KitchenAid for supplying many of the pots and pans and one of the stoves that appear in the book. Converting a manuscript into a book takes an enormous effort by an almost alarming number of hard-working people. Lorena Jones, my editor, has worked immeasurably hard into the wee hours and has been agreeable even under enormous stress. Working with her has been a delight. Creative Director Nancy Austin is responsible for the book’s brilliant design and is so quick and versatile that we were able to make changes to the text even at the last minute. I also want to thank copyeditor Sharon Silva, editor Amanda Berne, Publicity Manager Lisa Regul, Senior Marketing Manager Debra Matsumoto, Trade Sales Director Michele Crim, and Sales VP Patricia Kelly. And then of course there are the people I always thank because they stand behind me during all my projects, including the unsuccessful or impractical ones: my partner, Zelik, and my agents, Elise and Arnold Goodman. Thank you for being there for me.