Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

The first time I read 'Kitchen Confidential,' I was a student at my alma mater, learning Culinary Arts to become a chef. At first read, I was intrigued, shocked, and in wonderment all at the same time. Bourdain's vivid and colorful details of his culinary adventures and misadventures scared me a bit. It made me slightly wonder if I truly knew of the potential fallout that could come from a career in this field. In addition, even though I believed him to be truthful, I also thought he was perhaps exaggerating a bit on some of the debauched and seemingly unreal goings on in the kitchens he had worked in. Now, after having been a chef myself, having worked in multiple kitchens of all caliber in all four coasts of the United States, having worked with multitudes of kitchen associates and many other chefs, I know first hand of Bourdain's perspective and insight. I can tell you with certainty that it's all true. Yes, all true: every sordid, scandalous, wonderful, funny, creative, and amazing bit of it. This book is the culinary life. It's the life we chose, the life we love, and it's also the life that leaves us with literal and figurative scars that will never heal. We love the kitchen and although it loves us back, it also instilled in us some painful, loaded, duplicitous lessons. Lessons which I myself is still finding useful to this day. After learning of Bourdain's shocking suicide three weeks ago on June 8th, I decided to get a new copy of 'Kitchen Confidential.' It had been some fifteen years since I last read it, and I wanted to remember him for the wonderful voice he gave to us certifiable crazy kitchen warriors and culinary ninjas. Us warriors who love food, and us ninjas who have accepted our punishing, culinary fates. I also decided to read it again because I had the pleasure of meeting Anthony Bourdain twice in my life - on the second occasion, I had the honor of cooking for him. Both times, he was as funny, charming, and brilliant as many know him to be from his culinary travel TV shows. Reading the book this second time around made me remember and reminisce how wonderful both of my encounters with him had been. If you're a chef, or a culinary student, I have a feeling I don't need to convince you to buy and read this book. Bourdain's account of his time in the kitchen is our reality, and you know it first hand so you'll relate. If you're a "foodie" (I truly despise this word) or someone who genuinely admires the art of culinary, you'll get a kick out of this book, because you'll feel the sweat, blood, and tears we suffer to creatively feed you and the masses. If you're an ordinary person who simply eats to live, or perhaps you once caught an episode of one of Anthony Bourdain's four television shows over the years, but you don’t really see the reason for all the fuss, you need this book more than anyone else. Unless you're squeamish, a prude, snobbish, or a pretentious person, you'll love 'Kitchen Confidential.' If you are indeed within the third category of people I described, and you open your mind, I guarantee you that you'll fall in love with Anthony Bourdain like we all have and see what all the fuss is that we keep lamenting about. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book. Read it once, read it twice, read it multiple times. You'll be wiser for it. Yes of course, some of the details such as the use of Fax machines to send resumes, the food ordering processes, hiring practices, food safety guidelines, and a couple other things are outdated and no longer relevant by today's Culinary Arts standards. Nevertheless, what remains, remains valid and rings true to this day. This memoir is a solid one. 5-Stars.

I ordered his books immediately and started reading 2 days after he killed himself. It has been quite a journey these last days, reading the book, global reactions about the news, about his cremation yesterday... it's final, and so sad. I KNOW that if he had had a split second more to change things around he would have! He loved so many things worthwhile living for. His families, food, himself, too. I still don't understand why he was the guy he became. Don't get me wrong. I was hooked, too, read non-stop. But I wanted more than just descriptions of kitchens and foods which will keep me busy for a long time to dig deeper into. Just the history of restaurants, chefs and all the changes in NYC! But: beyond all the dude stories, male crazyness...how could he ever become a #metoo activist? Really strange. Wasn't he part of that, male and female discrimination/abuses? He describes himself as so tough all the time. Where is his spirit, soul, emotional status? He never addresses emotional relationships with men or women, his parents, family. Just that tough talk about male relationships with somewhat severe homosexual overtones. He talks about everything else without boundaries and never runs into limitations of expression, but never ever gets to the core of who he really is. I can't wait to read books written from significant others, e.g. his wives, partners he loved, male or female. I think he was hiding in the kitchen. I understand fully, because there is reasons why we are afraid of people. Human behavior remains a mystery to me, he says (p.312). He needed a very strict structure in life, an occupation with repetitive movements and thoughts. Otherwise, there was a deep ocean of insecurities and the unknown of Self. Drugs, kitchens, sex, overworking, exhaustion. They don't make it easier to live with oneself if you are such a deeply troubled individual. I was mad at him for all these days because we all loved him so much for all kind of reasons. I am at peace now because I think that he was extremely lucky to have lasted THIS long. And we were lucky, too. But, in the end, it was all fun, as he keeps saying, he made money, and that was the best he could do. Not so bad, Mr. Bourdain, and far more than many of us will ever accomplish. I am not sad anymore and feel rather Irish. Maybe I should take one of these genetic ancestry tests... No. Thanks, Tony, the ride was a good one!

Haven't finish yet. However, fantastic read. If one is familiar with the authors speak patterns (i.e. watch "No Reservations" and listened to him talk), and reads the books as if Anthony is saying it you, its phenomenal. Insightful, encouraging. Entertaining. A fantastic story. Ill admit, if you eat out regularly, and are blind to reality, might not want to grab a copy, it may ruin a lot for you. However, if you live reality, and simply enjoy a good story, from one of the few "real ones", read it.

It's hard to convey what a sensation this book was when it came out, mostly for its revelations about the workings of New York restaurant kitchens ("don't order fish on Monday!"). This is less important now, as inside-the-kitchen televisions shows play on constant rotation on more than one cable network. But the book holds up because Bordain writes extremely well, and it serves as a compelling coming-of-age story as much as it does a tell-all. This edition is about 300 pages, and the last section, added around Y2K, is mostly a rehash of material Bordain had already explored in the original text. But even with that waste of space, the book is an easy five stars.

I had not read this book before and I LOVE it! Anthony Bourdain was never one to "mince" words, and his book is no exception. Humorous, enlightening, entertaining, and as on screen, Anthony is sharing his culinary and cultural magic!

I cook at home, enjoy food, and worked as a prep chef at a chowder house for two years. I have some foray into the world that Anthony Bourdain details in this book, but by no means am I a chef. Despite this, the book was highly entertaining and a good read. My eyes were glued to the pages. I found that my limited experience as a prep chef and dishwasher was highly relatable to what Bourdain details in this book. Mind you, I worked in a chowder house in 2017 so a lot that's in this book still applies today. Bourdain provides a shocking, raw outlook on his career in the kitchen. You don't have to be a chef to read this book and be captivated. Just like his other works, he proves to us that food is more than just fuel. Give it a shot. Also the book came in great quality/condition.

Though I had never previously read the book, through Bourdain’s various shows and general media saturation I was quite familiar with the content. It is undeniably entertaining to hear Bourdain’s take on the world of restaurant kitchens. He writes with an approachable ease and has a penchant for crafting fascinating stories filled with unique characters. Whether it is veteran cooks taking hot metal pans out of the oven barehanded to prove their mettle or Bourdain’s self-reflection about his life in a fast-paced, competitive career, each chapter of the book offers a unique glimpse behind the curtain of the restaurant world. A groundbreaking work like this may not have aged particularly well. Many of the stories sound unoriginal or well trod. This isn’t a fault of Bourdain’s and, in fact, goes to his credit for having brought to light such horrors as what happens when ordering a well-done steak or why to avoid fish on Mondays. Overall, I was entertained but not enraptured because of the familiarity I had with these tales which are so sensational in their first telling. This predicament makes it difficult to rate, review, or recommend the book. If you are a fan of Bourdain’s, read the book. If you are looking for a snapshot in time glimpse behind the scenes of the restaurant industry, read the book. If you like chaos, tales of drug addiction and self destruction, or hard-edged subcultures, read the book. You know what, as I think about this more, it’s just a book worth reading. It’s no longer groundbreaking in the way it once was, but it is endearing, interesting, and well written. So go ahead and read it, I guess. B+

I've cooked in high and low end restaurants for 20 years, and this book is a window into the genuis yet depraved minds of the people that work there.

Llego en buen estado, un libro súper bueno y recomendado, puede tardar en atraparte, pero después es súper ligero

The book was as described and i loved it

Besides the damaged cover, everything else was just fine. A great book for anyone interested in the culinary world!

Livro interessante sobre o universo aberto e secreto da culinária com algumas histórias que não se imagina que aconteça neste meio.

Excellent! A funny book you can't put down. He has a deep understanding of the industry and gives a pretty honest account of the life. He deserves his fame, but it's astonishing (and inspiring) how he got it!