Lunch at the Shop: The Art and Practice of the Midday Meal

In our current bustle, lunch has been outsourced to stand-up counters, reduced to take-out platters, wrapped and rolled and packaged. But it doesn’t need to be so. Peter Miller makes lunch every day at his bookshop in Seattle. It may be only a salad or a sandwich, but he and his team put it together each day without a formal kitchen. It is a moment set aside, away from the computer and the clock.

Lunch at the Shop is a call to lunch. On the most basic level, the book is a primer for making lunch for a few people at work, including more than 50 tried-and-tested, deliciously simple recipes. However, the essence of the book is about adopting a lifestyle that allows food to be savored every day, in a way that is easy, fresh, healthy, and a pleasure.

“You may not know it yet, but you are hungry for what is bound and written on these pages. As he did for me, Peter Miller will help fill you up. I’m sure of it.” —Matthew Dillon, James Beard Award–winning chef of Sitka & Spruce, The Corson Building, and Bar Sajor

Peter Miller has operated his design bookshop in Seattle for 35 years. He trained as a chef with the remarkable Maurice Thuillier and is a regular contributor to the online magazine Crosscut.com. Christopher Hirsheimer, an award-winning photographer and editor, and Melissa Hamilton, a renowned food stylist, are the cofounders of Canal House and the authors of the James Beard Award–winning Canal House Cooks Every Day.