1 | | | The Other Side of the Bridge |
| Douglas | Hollis | An artist. Aka: Doug: Duth. |
| Nick | | The household patriarch. |
| Dr. | Bronner | A devotee of millet. |
| Jules | | The most sympathetic among the households. |
2 | | | The Success Machine |
| Martha | | Nick's girlfriend. |
| Ruth | Reichl | A restaurant critic. Aka: Rug. |
| Alice | Walters | An American chef. |
| Richard | Olney | A culinary genius. |
| Pat | | Alice's friend. |
| Phil | Reich | A wine writer. |
| Colman | Andrews | A food editor. |
| Marie | | Ruth's friend. |
3 | | | Paris |
| Patrick | Terrail | American restaurant and hotel consultant. |
| Orson | Welles | An actor. |
| Wolfgang | Puck | The most talented chef in Los Angeles. |
| Piero | Selvaggio | A restaurant owner. |
| Beatrice | du Croix | Ruth's friend. |
| Guy | Savoy | A French chef. |
| Chez | Isadore | Colman's friend. |
| Claude | | Colman's close friend. |
| Pepita | | Claude's wife. |
4 | | | Blow Your Socks Off |
| Darrell | Corti | A man who knows about food and wine. |
| Charlie | Perry | One of Los Angeles critics. |
| Joseph | Swan | A chemist and an inventor. |
| Michael | McCarthy | Phil's business partner. |
| Jonathan | Waxman | A chef. |
| Mark | Peel | A young chef. |
| Ken | Frank | The head chef. |
| Sally | Clarke | Jonathan's friend. |
| Pierre | Vedel | Michael's friend from Paris. |
| Ingrid | | Michael's acquaintance. |
| Lori | Powell | One who tested Michael's recipe. |
5 | | | Garlic is Good |
| Les | Blank | A Berkeley's filmmaker. |
| Robert | Charles | Owned a restaurant which served only lamb. |
| Bruce | Aidells | Owner of Aidells's Sausage Company. |
| Amora | | Robert's wife. |
| Bruce | Cost | A cook. |
| Virginia | Lee | A cook. |
| Anzonini | Del Puerto | A great singer. |
6 | | | Armadillos in China |
| Miriam | | Ruth's mother. |
| Mr. | Bergamini | Owner of a butchers' shop. |
| Mr. | Chan | Ruth's father's friend. |
| Mr. | Chen | A chef. |
| Mr. | Lee | Hotel usher. |
| Ed | | A free lance travel writer. |
| Marion | Cunningham | Ruth's friend. |
| Cecilia | Chiang | Owner of Cecilia's restaurant. |
7 | | | The Sage of Sonoma |
| Mary Frances | Kennedy Fisher | Ruth's acquaintance. |
| Al | Fisher | Mary Frances's husband. |
| Ellen | Frank | Ruth's very good friend. |
| Michael | Singer | A journalist. |
| Susan | | Ellen's friend. |
| Franco | | Owner of a coffee shop. |
| Charlie | | A cat. |
8 | | | Five Recipes |
| Jeffrey | | Ruth's acquaintance. |
9 | | | Raining Shrimp |
| Jacques | | Ruth's friend. |
| Boonchoo | Pholatawarna | A Thai chef. |
10 | | | Midnight Duck |
| Vernon | | A cook. |
| Charlene | Rollins | A cook. |
| Dorothy | | Miriam's friend. |
11 | | | Dali Fish |
| Barbara | Lazaroff | One of the owners of Chinois restaurant. |
| Joachim | Splichal | A Los Angeles chef. |
| Robert | Epstein | Editor of the Los Angeles Times. Aka: Bob. |
| Richard | Krause | Chinois's chef. |
| Edison | | An electrician. |
12 | | | Foodies |
| Danny | Kaye | A cook. |
| Paul | Bocuse | A French chef. |
| Roger | Berger | An American statistician. |
| Fredy | Girardet | A Swiss chef. |
| Evelle | Younger | A former attorney general of the state of California. |
13 | | | Mashed Bananas |
| Nancy | Silverton | A baker. |
| Joshua | | A lawyer. |
| Roxanne | | A pregnant young girl. |
| Kathleen | Turner | Ruth's close friend. |
| Darlene | | A pregnant woman. |
| Billy | | Darlene's husband. |
| Romana | | One of the pregnant women. |
| Amy | | One of the pregnant women. |
| Veronica | | One of the pregnant women. |
| Joanna | | One of the pregnant women. |
| Louella | | One of the pregnant women. |
| Rachel | | One of the pregnant women. |
| Sally | | One of the pregnant women. |
| April | | One of the pregnant women. |
| Gabriella | | Ruth's adoptive daughter. Aka: Gavi. |
| Lincoln | | The judge. |
| Eres Anna | Delgardo | Gabriella's birth mother. |
| Lourdes | | A witness. |
| Juan | Rodriguez | Gabriella's father. |
14 | | | Barcelona |
| Bradley | Ogden | A chef. |
| Lydia | Shire | A chef. |
| Julia | Child | An American chef. |