Spiced: A Pastry Chef's True Stories of Trails by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.91 (983 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0425232522 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 304 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-06-26 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Read Dahlia Jurgensen's posts on the Penguin Blog. A clever and affectionate glimpse at the truth about what goes on behind that swinging door, full of "great insider stuff" (Anthony Bourdain) Life in a restaurant kitchen is strenuous and exciting, while its inhabitants areunique. Written with sincere love for the industry, this is a candid insider's tour from the unique perspective of an acclaimed pastry chef.. In this testosterone-laden atmosphere, Dalia Jurgensen tirelessly pursued her dream of becoming a chef, working her way up though New York's top restaurants. In her deliciously entertaining memoir, she divulges the dynamics between cooks and waiters, chefs and food critics, and heated affairs between staff members
"Five Stars" according to Amazon Customer. great read. "All in all, a nice little read" according to Amazon Customer. I actually set out expecting to hate this book. Oh here's another dilettante checking out of her cushy job to tackle a "life of cooking". I find the whole belly-of-the-beast restaurant-kitchen and/or food memoir genre to be entirely too crowded. What can this memoir possibly add?Two things: diversity of experience, and a woman's perspective. It turns out Jurgensen is not just a dilettante, but someone who made a major career change to professional cooking long ago. So unlike Bill Buford's Heat (which I loved, by the way, don't get me wrong), it is not a manufactured experience to write about. Her dive. "Enjoyable read, but a very flat ending" according to Alexander Lucard. I have to admit, I've never heard of Dalia Jurgensen and neither had my friends, and many of us have had personal interaction of friendships with several of today's "celebrity chefs." More than anything, my lack of knowledge of her was what made me pick this book up. After all, who had heard of Anthony Bourdain before Kitchen Confidential?Dalia's book is a quick read. I managed to finish the book in two days, and I quite enjoyed it. Dalia has an excellent voice and her ability to translate specific cooking terms and even the process of making some interesting dishes into vocabulary that can be underst
In this amiable narrative, she describes various pitfalls: a hookup with one of her bosses eventually settles into a dating relationship; when they break up, it's right back to work for Jurgensen ever the professional. The edgy backstage atmosphere will be instantly familiar to fans of chef memoirs, but Jurgensen's promise of a feminine perspective to the sexist environment is barely fulfilled by the indifferent telling of a few raunchy anecdotes and her insistence that she got over it because she
Formerly pastry chef for the three-star Manhattan restaurant Veritas, she has worked in the kitchens of acclaimed restaurants such as Nobu, Layla, and La Cote Basque. . Her website, myspicedlife, offers insights into restaurant kitchens, recipes, food experiences, and reviews. Dalia Jurgensen is executive pastry chef fo