Firehouse Food celebrates the lifestyle of firefighters not only through their outstanding and sometimes unusual recipes, but through individual profiles of the men and women (whether seasoned veterans, new recruits, wacky characters or retirees) and gorgeous photos of the food and the firehouses. Every firefighter is required to participate in the monthly cooking shifts. Whoever is on cooking duty plans the meals for the entire house, purchases the food, and prepares it for everyone. Everyone but the cook does the dishes. With the same bunch of people cooking for each other week after week, it's no wonder that mealtime turns into a competitive event. This makes for some exciting meals. The 100 recipes cover a wealth of ethnically diverse flavours - Hispanic, Asian, African American, Italian, Irish, Eastern European. These dishes are generous, honest, forgiving dishes - easy to prepare, easy to understand and really easy to enjoy. But what makes them so special is that they've all passed the same test. They've all made people feel happy and helped them connect. This is the food that turns a firehouse into a family. Profiles include some unofficial members of the department, such as James, a cook at Pizzeria Uno who drops by Station 16 every morning at sunrise to raise the flag on the roof. And Father John Green, Catholic priest and amateur fire-buff, who monitors calls on his own radio and shows up at fires to comfort victims and provide spiritual counsel when needed. Learn, too, about the elaborate after-dinner dice games - the winner gets a free meal, the loser scrubs pots.