the five people you [eat with] in [food] heaven…

Mitch Albom has a new book out entitled the five people you meet in heaven. After reading his first best-seller, tuesdays with Morrie, I vowed never to return to his sappy writing again (perhaps an overreaction). So, I have no idea who Albom suggests one will meet in heaven… but, as I walked through the book store, to his credit, the title to Albom’s new literary darling caught my imagination…Who would be the five “foodies” I’d be sure to meet in food heaven? Here’s what I’d eat with them.

1). Julia Child over a big bowl-full of homemade strawberry ice cream.
2). Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin over a thirty-course French feast featuring game meats.
3). James Beard over a smoked fish tasting in a rustic cabin in the wilds of Oregon.
4). M.F.K. Fisher over a fine cheese course.
5). Marie Antoine Carême over whatever he’d want to make.…

Who are the five living gastronomes I’d like to meet (right now), and where? After some agonizing, I’ve come up with five. Not surprisingly, the venues all centered around food (I’m sure there’s continuous feasting in Heaven, but since Albom has already staked that claim, I’ll move afield, err, lets say, I stayed terrestrial):

1). Jeffrey Steingarten over a wrapped lobster roll aboard an oyster boat waiting for the tide to go
out in order to harvest oysters in the bay at Arcachon, France.
2). Ferran Adria over a nine-to-fifteen course meal at his restaurant. El Bulli, in Rosas, Spain
3). Ruth Reichl over a big plate of matzo brei in her kitchen.
4). Thomas Keller over a fifteen course meal at his flagship restaurant, The French Laundry in
Yountville, California.
5). Masa Takayama over a pile of unidentifiable creatures from the deep at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo,
Japan. Naomichi Yasuda came in as a close second, but I’ve already met him…