Customer Reviews

Becoming A Chef - With Recipes And Reflections From America's Leading Chefs

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's not mince our praise: BECOMING A CHEF is one of the best books ever written about the back-of-the-house side of the restaurant business. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page interviewed more than 60 top chefs for this entertaining and enlightening look at the culinary profession.

Jeremiah Tower (formerly) of San Francisco's Stars reveals that he originally wanted to be an architect. Todd English of Olives (Boston, etc.) reminisces about watching his grandmother make potato gnocchi. Andre Soltner, the living legend formerly of Lutece in New York City, waxes philosophical about love -- in his estimable opinion, the most important ingredient in any dish. Perhaps Norman Van Aken of Norman's in Coral Gables, Florida, sums it up best: "This is not a profession that you choose. It chooses you."

In addition to life lessons and some 50 recipes from the usual suspects (Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud, Emeril Lagasse, etc.), the book includes a brief history of the culinary profession; a chapter on opening and operating your own restaurant; and listings of culinary organizations, publications, and cooking schools in the U.S. and abroad.

For the uninitiated as well as those who have already found their calling in the kitchen, BECOMING A CHEF is a must-read.

This book was the AHA! for me that made me decide, yes a culinary career is where I want to go. Upon reading it I realized that there ARE other people out there with the same kind of passion and dedication to making great food, and all the hard work and long hours that go along with it. A real eye-opener and a must-read for anyone considering a culinary career. However...

This is a great book for anyone considering a career as a chef, though some of the advice, while good, may be a bit unrealistic. For example, most people can't just take a year to try working in a restaurant to see if cooking school is really for them. The book covers a number of aspects of becoming a chef, not just what it takes, but the inner motives that one should have to pursue such a demanding career-which must go far beyond any unlikely dreams of glamour, stardom, or high income.

The title does not reflect the somewhat narrow focus of the book, which unfortunately is misleading. There are a lot of different kinds of places to be a chef, not just in a restaurant, but the book focusses really only on restaurant chefs and the restaurant business, and makes little mention of the other kinds of career options chefs and food lovers in general might have-such as catering, being a personal chef, etc. However, I'm looking forward to seeing the same authors' book on food critics. They did have a purpose in focussing on chefs, but I think this book suffers by having narrowed that focus a bit too much. Nonetheless, this is a great book if you're thinking about entering the culinary field, as I am.

I agree with all the other posted positive reviews. This book was a revelation, gave my cooking studies aspirations focus, is very thorough, and was an instant personal classic.

I loved this book for a second reason: It opened up the ethos of American cooking to me in the same way that Beck, Bertholle, and Child's Mastering the Art of French cooking did for French cooking. The world of Kamman, Waters, et al.--the exciting cooking of and going on in our own country--was foreign to me until I read Becoming a Chef.

Also, the "Chef's Top 20" list of essential cookbooks is worth the price of the book.

In my opinion, BECOMING A CHEF is one of the most sensitive and revelatory books on the profession I've read. I've been a working "chef" (aka line cook) for almost five years, and it actually helped me pursue a few jobs (the information on setting up interviews and trails helped a lot). A great book. (CULINARY ARTISTRY is also one of my favorites, but I haven't gotten to the book on food critics yet.)

I'm writing this review because a couple of fellow culinary students confessed they couldn't get past the first few pages of this book. Because, frankly, the authors have a very dry style and even put me to sleep. But I struggled through those parts of the book because scattered throughout are lengthy stories, advice and recipes from TOP chefs of all types and ethnicities, from around the country, and what they have to say is tremendously interesting. In this book are also surveys including what books were most important to the chefs and I went on to read many of them, and also studied with one. I learned a lot about the industry and each individual chefs' contribution to culinary development in America. The authors have done a great service to the culinary profession and to food lovers, by publishing this book. BTW - this is one I don't even let people borrow!

As a person who was considering a career change at the age of 27, this book provided the affermation that my personality and being was in line with the profession of cooking. For those that are considering a career in the culinary arts, I believe that culinary schools should require an essay on the interpretation of the general content of this work as a guideline to indicate the realization of what is involved in the business. It simply isn't like the television programs, it's working in a hot, heavy lifting, work while you're injured environment, with no holidays, or excuses. This book gets this point across without being squelching, and bring home the encouraging points for those with the passion. This work helped motivate me to my life long dream of going to cooking school, and now as an executive chef, continues to inspire me when the details are getting me down. I've lent it to my most promising line cooks.

If you are a cook, have been a cook, or want to be a cook, you must read this book. The only book I have read that takes you right into the kitchen. If you are thinking about cooking as a career, read this book.

My interest in the culinary arts developed approximately three years ago. However, that interest never developed into a focused vision until I read this book. Now I am preparing to graduate from a professional culinary school in Los Angeles and to embark upon a career as a food journalist. I would never have pursued these endeavors without having read BECOMING A CHEF. I use it both as a navigator and as a reflection on my new-found career interest.

An incredible volume for anyone seriously considering a career as a chef, as well as those of us who like goofing around in the kitchen on weekends. The authors interviewed some of the top chefs in the country, unearthing their backgrounds, and getting their input on the best way to achieve your dream as a professional chef. If, like me, you just like whipping up a grand meal on the weekend or holidays, this is a superb place to read up on techniques and great recipes. Each chef provides classic recipes from their restaurants, and each one I've made from BECOMING A CHEF has been an instant favorite!

Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page is filled with information that anyone who wants to achieve greatness as a professional chef needs to know, based on the experiences of dozens of America's leading chefs (from Daniel Boulud to Emeril Lagasse to Charlie Trotters to Alice Waters). You find out what first got them interested in pursuing a career as a chef (including early memories of family influences) to what their first steps were (from first jobs to cooking school to externships) and how they made their way up the ladder to success. My favorite chapter is Chapter 9: Persevering In The Face of Reality, in which top chefs admit some of the boneheaded mistakes they made along the way, making it clear that even the greatest chefs faced setbacks along the way. Whenever I question my sanity for wanting to cook for a living (which is at least once a week), I pick up this book, open it to any page, and get inspired by remembering that we're all in it for the love of food and our common passion for cooking things that taste amazing and please others!