Celebrating With Julienne Cookbook By Susan Campoy From Julienne Restaurant In Los Angeles

Recipes from San Marino's favorite neighborhood bistro

When new restaurateurs need a recipe for success, they need look no further than neighborhood mainstays like San Marino's Julienne, now almost 25 years strong.

In the new cookbook Celebrating With Julienne, the late founder, Susan Campoy (she passed away in March), shares more than just recipes; she offers stories, tips and advice along the way.

Campoy went from being a "mother who loved to cook" to taking classes at European cooking schools and L.A.'s former Ma Cuisine. After catering for several years, she opened Julienne in 1985 and watched it grow from a small storefront bistro to a popular restaurant and marketplace.

In her book, Campoy delivers lessons learned from years in the business, such as "seek strength in crisis" and "respect your employees"–the backbone, she writes, of any good restaurant. The recipes include some of Julienne's greatest hits, like the spicy-sweet croque monsieur with tomato-apricot chutney and the incredibly decadent crème brûlée French toast (customers practically revolted when she once tried to take it off the menu).

Susan's daughter Julie, who now oversees the restaurant and market, loves the lemon soufflé pudding cake topped with fresh summer berries–one of her mother's favorites desserts. Click here to download the recipe.

Julienne, 2649 Mission St., San Marino; 626-441-2299 or juliennetogo.com