Kitchen Confidential

“Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly” by Anthony Bourdain

Published by Bloomsbury

Finished 7/31/21 – 3/5 stars

This book was written before the world got to know Anthony Bourdain through his TV shows on the Travel Channel and CNN but the personality we fell in love definitely comes through in his writing.  Granted, if you have never seen his shows, he might come across as a little brash and/or egotistical and you may be shocked to read of all his drinking and drug use but his love of food and compassion for others and their cultures still shines through.

The book takes you behind the scenes in restaurants Tony has worked for in Cape Cod, New York City, Baltimore, France, and Tokyo as well as a glimpse into the Culinary Institute of America.  You learn how he went from dishwasher, to student, to chef and all the steps in between molding him into the person he became.  Through his story telling, you will also learn things like when not to order certain foods, what items to avoid altogether, and when best to actually go to a nice restaurant (not the weekend).  There are times when the book has a little too much detail (unless you’re in the business maybe) and it’s slow at times but overall, it’s a good book.  I will warn you, there are a couple sections that will make your heart ache knowing that he sadly took his own life in 2018, like when he talks about another chef’s suicide and the last chapter of the book when he’s speaking of how far he’s come as a chef.  He could have taught us so much more if he had just stuck around a little longer.