Quick Take
World-renowned chef and Santa Cruz resident David Kinch will sell his personal collection of culinary books at downtown's Bad Animal on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4.
If a book stays on a bookshelf, is it fulfilling its purpose? Not according to David Kinch. The world-renowned chef and Santa Cruz resident is selling his personal culinary library because, he believes, “books shouldn’t gather dust.”
“They have served my purpose and at this time in my life they deserve to be in the hands of those who will use them to be inspired, to inform and to educate,” Kinch said in an Instagram post announcing the sale. “They are nothing if they are not used. … Books can teach, and make you realize that understanding what came before will inform your future.”
The sale will take place at Bad Animal, a rare and used bookshop, natural wine bar and Thai restaurant, in downtown Santa Cruz on Saturday, Feb. 3, and Sunday, Feb. 4, from noon to 3 p.m. Hundreds of titles will be available, and new titles will go out both days.
The collection, acquired through Kinch’s personal travels over the past 45 years, includes rare and out-of-print French and Japanese titles, and some are signed by the authors and personalized.
It’s another milestone moment for the acclaimed chef, who has transitioned his business ventures in recent years. In 2022, Kinch closed Manresa, his 20-year-old fine-dining restaurant in Los Gatos, to focus on other projects and restaurants, including Mentone in Aptos and Manresa Bread, which opened a location in Santa Cruz in 2022. At the time, Manresa boasted three Michelin stars, the highest honor a restaurant is able to achieve, denoting one of the best in the world.
In 2023, Kinch partnered with culinary entrepreneurs Juan and Luis Caviglia to reopen Manresa as Ritual x Manresa. The restaurant is hosting a series of luxe pop-ups featuring international chefs through the end of the year.
Bad Animal is located at 1011 Cedar St., Santa Cruz; contact at 831-900-5031 and BadAnimalBooks.com.
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