Cheesecake: A Novel

From New York Times bestselling author Mark Kurlansky, a delectable novel following one Manhattan block as an ancient cheesecake recipe-and a conniving landlord-change the Upper West Side forever. West 86th Street knows its desserts. It's the 1970s, and poppyseed strudel, praline ice cream cake, and New York cheesecake are as integral to Manhattan's Upper West Side as clustered pigeons, suited doormen, and greasy diners. That is, until Cato comes to town. Cato the Elder, a Roman born in 234 BCE, is credited with the earliest written recipe ever found. A recipe for . . . cheesecake. No cream cheese, no graham cracker crust, somehow savory and sweet, the recipe is enigmatic-and suddenly, it's all anyone on West 86th Street can talk about. The Katsikases, a Greek cheesemaking family who immigrated to open a restaurant in New York, added Cato's pastry to their menu as a ploy to attract “upscale” diners. After a glowing write-up in the Times, the recipe becomes a neighborhood fixation-and the Katsikases' patriarch, Art, buys up as much of the block's real estate as he can. As the portentous pastry appears in the lives of the old-school residents Art is pricing out of their apartments, a sidewalk view of West 86th Street emerges: A high-profile family planning a high-pressure bat mitzvah, a painter's muse with a terrible secret, an eccentric art collector plotting revenge. Sometimes laced with green M&Ms, sometimes with sage, sometimes with spite, Cato's cheesecake heralds change as West 86th Street is transformed for good.

About the Author :
Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times bestselling author of Milk!, Havana, Paper, The Big Oyster, 1968, Salt, The Basque History of the World, Cod, and Salmon, among other titles. His most recent book, The Core of an Onion, was published by Bloomsbury in 2023. He has received the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Bon Appétit's Food Writer of the Year Award, the James Beard Award, and the Glenfiddich Award. He is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and frequently contributes to the New York Times and the London Guardian. A four-time Jeopardy clue, he lives in New York City.

Review :
[Kurlansky] is, to put it simply, a damn fine writer and he's crafted a delightful story . . . Cheesecake is a buoyant and entertaining read. The atmosphere [Kurlansky] creates is vivid and oh-so-New York . . . Good fun. Rollicking . . . Kurlansky has a gift for drawing characters whose wackiness does not detract from their likability as New York archetypes. If you like [cheesecake], you're in luck . . . Kurlansky uses food-notably, the evolution of an ancient recipe for cheesecake-to explore a quirky cast of characters who frequent a Greek diner in Manhattan. Vibrant, funny, and at times bittersweet . . . Longtime New Yorkers may feel wistful for a bygone neighborhood so lovingly rendered . . . and others will enjoy this glimpse of a small town within a metropolis. Mark Kurlansky lends his considerable skills to this loving tribute to Manhattan's Upper West Side during the booming 1980s. Vibrant . . . [fans] will enjoy the twinge of irony served alongside a story of rich, Manhattan-infused life and honey-laced, fresh goat's milk cheesecake. Satisfying . . . Kurlansky keeps the plot gliding along, thanks to the larger-than-life Katsikases and a host of affable peripheral characters who bemoan the ravages of gentrification. There's plenty of substance to this delectable feast. A heap­ing spoon­ful of nos­tal­gia-not only for a bygone era of New York City, but also cap­tur­ing a more uni­ver­sal­ly relat­able feel­ing of reflec­tion on what once was-and the result is a digestible, sat­is­fy­ing read. Mark Kurlansky is among our most intelligent, prolific and literate writers about food. Traces cheesecake's rich history and international variety, providing detailed recipes, baking tips, and flavor inspiration for each version. Balances classic and inventive takes to help readers achieve bakery-quality results every time. Mr. Kurlansky is a veteran writer . . . He has come to be known for his ability to weave history, philosophy and personal experience into compelling narratives . . . Often marvelous. The sort of book that Proust might have written had Proust become distracted by the madeleine . . . you step away from this book with a new vantage on history. Elegant . . . related with vast brio and wit. Magnificent . . . a towering achievement.