For those who have been patiently waiting for St. Louis to get its own Shake Shack, the wait continues. To tide you over, check out Shake Shack: Recipes and Stories, a new cookbook by CEO Randy Garutti and culinary director Mark Rosati, set to release on May 16. Through the 70 recipes, 200 photos, educational infographics, and stories behind the people involved with Shake Shack—from Danny Meyer, the hometown culinary guru who founded the business, to the independent suppliers to the employees working in the 130 Shacks across the globe—the reader learns just why Meyer and his team have been so successful. Also included are some of the rejected names—Custard Park, Custard’s First Stand, Dog Run, Frostee Shake, Madison Mixer, and Parking Lot.
Of the eight chapters, five are devoted to the food: burgers, hot dogs, crinkle cut fries, chicken sandwiches, and, of course, shakes. The introduction, Chapter 4: “A Culture of ‘Yes,’” and Chapter 7: “The Art of the Opening” provide interesting insight into the Shacks’ success.
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In the introduction, Meyer recalls the history of the first Shake Shack (a hot dog cart), which was part of an effort to raise money for Madison Square Park’s renovation in 2001. Embedded within the story is the concept of “enlightened hospitality,” Meyer’s philosophy on how to run a restaurant. One fun infographic, “Danny’s American Roots,” traces six major influences on the restaurateur, four of which are in St. Louis: Fitz’s, Ted Drewes, Crown Candy Kitchen, and Steak ‘n Shake.
Each of the food chapters contains an “anatomy” or two-page photo of the item. The “Anatomy of a ShackBurger,” for example, breaks down the famous griddle burger (pictured above), deliciously displaying its constituent parts: a potato bun, green-leaf lettuce, Shacksauce, Roma tomatoes, American cheese, ground beef, and a salt and pepper mix.
Complementing the anatomies are “Local Hero” profiles of vendors who supply the items’ ingredients. Snapshots of Martin’s Potato Rolls from Chambersburg, PA and Lucky Lee Tomatoes from Central Florida illustrate how Garutti and Rosati strive to source quality ingredients from individual producers. The description of the chocolate sprinkles used on concretes is just one example of the exacting attention to detail: “Beware! Most sprinkles are waxy concoctions. We found the purest, most chocolaty sprinkles at Guttard, in San Francisco.”
Recipes included are for menu staples (Shack-ago Dog and SmokeShack), limited-release specialties from food competitions (Peanut Butter Bacon Burger), and collaborations with well-known chefs (David Chang’s Momofuku Shrimp Stack). Step-by-step guides for grinding your own meat, baking your own potato rolls, and making frozen custard—the base for all shakes—give you everything you need to recreate the menu at home. There’s even a recipe for the Pooch-inis served to dogs.
Wine and beer pairings from Brooklyn Brewery and Frog’s Leap Winery, both of which make specialty brews and wines for the Shacks, also punctuate the food chapters. The brewery and winery get their own profiles, which highlight their collaborations with Shake Shack and tell more stories of dedicated producers who also believe in “The Feel Business,” what Garutti calls hospitality. The fact that each location has an active philanthropic agenda geared towards local needs and a “steppin’ up” model for training and promoting employees are two concrete examples of how the good feelings are passed on to others besides the customer.
Among Shake Shack’s successes has been failure—the crinkle cut fries—and the whole tale is revealed in the book. Garutti and Rosati narrate the story behind the switch from frozen crinkle cut to fresh cut fries after New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote in 2012: “Mr. Meyer runs one of the world’s great restaurant companies. Can’t one of his chefs show him how to make a decent French fry?” Not only is the story revealed, but that quote from Wells takes up half a page in green font (the same shade used in the restaurants’ logos—there’s a story behind that too). No spoilers here—you’ll need to read the book—but recipes for both the crinkle cut and fresh cut fries are included, along with those for Chili Fries, Bone Marrow Gravy Fries, and Irish Fries.
Frankly, one need not ever attempt to make frozen custard at home to appreciate all this book has to offer. Here’s a suggestion: buy a copy and read it while standing in the infamously long lines that accompany Shake Shacks across the country (or when we finally get our own location this fall). You can learn more about the business, drool over the pictures, and salute one of the most successful restaurateurs to come out of St. Louis while embracing the collective experience so many others have already grown to love (yep, there’s an infographic in the book on long lines as well).
Shake Shack: Recipes and Stories
Randy Garutti and Mark Rosati
Introduction by Danny Meyer
Clarkson Potter/Publishers
May 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-45981-4
$26.00
Available for pre-order on this website or your local bookseller
