Twelve Seasons Under the Florida Sun is as much about the chefs who contributed to it as it is the food they cook. Formal dinners, summer picnics, holiday buffets - the meals here run the gamut and every reader is sure to find something that appeals to their taste buds. Whether an experienced restaurant chef, a school-trained culinarian, a career-changer or just a life-long cook, the chefs in this book give you a glimpse into what drives them and what inspires them, as well as tips and clear instructions on how to re-create their dishes in your own kitchen or if you prefer, a way to reach them to allow them to do it for you. Fresh, high quality ingredients combined with experience and the proper technique, served to you with style and personality by eight different personal chefs who have very individual approaches to their menus. Seasonal cooking is about using what's good and fresh and available right now. Not frozen, not canned, not grown somewhere else and shipped in. This really isn't a new concept; home cooks with gardens have cooked with what was available for generations. Cooks without a home garden can find high-quality ingredients at the supermarket and if they are willing to drive a tiny bit farther and find one of those roadside produce markets, they can cook with local flavor without any of the weeding. Personal chefing is, well, personal and it varies from chef to chef as well as from client to client. This book and these recipes within give you a glimpse into the inner workings of the chefs as they build a meal for you. See you in the kitchen!