Customer Reviews

The Seasoning of a Chef: My Journey from Diner to Ducasse and Beyond

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

 

 

Other readers seem to have come to this book with an odd set of expectations. You don't read a book by a working chef for detailed descriptions of gorgeous meals. While the best chefs have a deep appreciation of food, they don't spend hours rhapsodizing over the food they make; in fact, you might be surprised how seldom they even taste it. Unless they're heading the kitchen, they seldom see the food being made at stations other than the one they're working. People who want to read about eating (as opposed to cooking) would do better to seek out the works of Calvin Trillin, Jeffrey Steingarten, M.F.K. Fisher, Ruth Reichl, and others who've spent more time in the dining room than the kitchen.

It's also fairly superfluous to criticize a head chef -- or someone who aspires to be a head chef -- for being a snob. Egalitarian cooks usually end up as journeyman cooks working in inferior kitchens, since they've never developed a stringent set of standards for themselves. Sure, Anthony Bourdain tells amusing stories with plenty of sex and drugs, but he has described himself as a journeyman. Here is the story of a cook who aspires to be more than that, and who's more interested in the work itself than the after-work debauchery. KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL was a terrific book, but in the wake of its tiresome imitators looking to top one another with tales of restaurant excess, I found Doug Psaltis' single-minded work ethic refreshing. It is seen too seldom, both in restaurant kitchens and in the body of literature that has begun to emerge from them.

THE SEASONING OF A CHEF is a convincing and seemingly honest look at the inner workings of several kitchens, and, more broadly, at the development of one serious cook. I won't deny that Psaltis comes off as a bit insufferable at times, as when he declares that cooks who have families and children aren't really dedicated to the business -- most of the finest chefs I've known have had significant others and/or families -- but he's young yet and one hopes he will find someone able to share an admittedly hard life. The tale of the debacle that was Mix is particularly entertaining, especially if you've had occasion to deal with corporate front-of-the-house pinheads who didn't understand how a kitchen works, or if you are close to someone who has. I look forward to hearing about -- and from -- Doug Psaltis again in the future.

There has been controversy about this book , which has been described as being less than truthful and exaggerates the author's contributions to the restaurants he worked in. That has been discussed extensively elsewhere, so I am basing my opinion on what is actually in the book.
The author/chef has undoubtedly worked very hard to get where he is, and much of the book describes how long and hard a chef must work to become great. What is missing is what inspired this chef to devote himself to this demanding work.
There is a curious lack of discussion about food in a book that about the training of a chef. While the mechanics of creating great food are discussed extensively, food itself gets little mention, and this undermines the story the author is trying to tell. After reading this book I have no idea what kind of food the chef loves to cook or what flavors or styles inspire him to create.

In the book Mr Psaltis comes across as being driven to cook rather than loving what he creates. At times he questions why he is doing what he does, and this is question is never really answered for the reader, a serious flaw in a book about becoming a chef.

The people the author worked with at various restaurants rarely come alive on the page, with many people being dismissed as " not there to learn" and the author comes across as believing he is better and more hard-working than almost everyone in every kitchen he enters, and this attitude wears thin quickly.
As an insider's view of the restaurant world, there are some interesting tidbits, but overall this is a passionless and not terribly informative look at one man's experience in some specific restaurants . Therefore this book is most likely to appeal to NYC food world insiders and restaurant professionals than the general reader. Instead, I recommend The Soul of Chef and Kitchen Confidential for two very different but interesting and informative takes on becoming a chef.

This book is really the most entertaining for industry professionals, or people who are interested in the inner workings of the restaurant business. There is no talk about specific dishes really, or recipes, or taste profiles. This is the story of one cooks rise from the bottom of the kitchen, to the top of it. Its a very candid and entertaining ride that many cooks go through, including me. Any professional cook can relate to this book and will be glued to it. Most people don't understand the type of dedication required to cook at this level, and ones who have read about, don't seem to believe it. But Chef Psaltis' story is wonderfully executed, and is a true enjoyment. To see the journey of a Chef, buy this book, if you're looking for food facts, don't.

Doug Psaltis's twin brother is in the book biz, which might explain how such thin material got published. Can see it: "Sit down, Doug, and talk to the tape recorder; we'll fix it later." They transcribed it but they didn't fix it. You learn the name of every cook in every kitchen but nothing about the taste of the food. And nothing at all about what Doug learned (techniques? flavors? recipes?). With no professional training except what he picks up on the job, he hangs on to become chef de cuisine in one of Alain Ducasse's kitchens. So? Brilliant? Lucky? Or did he just keep showing up? You come away from this dreadfully boring book with no sense at all of what makes Doug special, and you might be right in suspecting there's nothing special at all.

This book chronicles the transition of a young boy (then ten) who begins his restaurant career doing various tasks in his grandfather's Long Island diner on weekends. Years later, having decided that college is not for him, he begins his cooking career moving from family dining to more refined local establishments, until he finally discovers that the big leagues lie in Manhattan. (Paris, Shanghai, etc., are not even on his radar)

Together with a few friends he ventures into the city as a patron, and learns that there is more to fine cuisine than he had heretofore imagined. Zagat in hand, he uses his kitchen breaks to telephone ranked restaurants in NYC, begging for a "stage," an unpaid shift in a kitchen, where the novitiate will learn and possibly be invited to join the staff.

From here the author moves from one restaurant to another, apparently learning techniques and culinary styles (but somehow learning very little restaurant French). Slowly, he moves up the confusing ladder (and occasionally taking a lesser role, in order to be in a fancier place).

He drops names, criticism and opinions liberally, but curiously, we learn very little about his own menu preferences. [..]

Ultimately, this book feels like an expensive but eminently forgettable meal; it is adequate but offers no memorable fireworks.

Let me say first off: I love biographies. My favorite thing to do is peruse the biography section and pick out ones that look interesting. That's how I found this book, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

It was a look into a fascinating world, one I knew nothing about. I learned about the crazy dedication it takes to really become a good chef. I didn't find the author snobby or condesending at all...perhaps because of my lack of knowledge of the industry?

I thought the other reviews were a little harsh, but I guess it depends on why you buy this book. If you have no preconceived notions and just pick it up on a whim like I did, I think you'll be glad you did...

A fun read, an interesting insight into some famous kitchens, with contrasts from New York to California. Doug never gets too technical, so anyone interested in the goings-on in a restaurant kitchen can enjoy the book. Would be a good book to read for young aspiring chefs, a little taste of reality.

This short, light book seems to give real insight into the life of a cook in a fancy restaurant. It's clear that success in this field requires dedication of one's life, not to say fanaticism, to the preparation of top-class food. The co-author is clearly consumed, body and soul, with the best preparation of good food. Along the way he meets others in his occupation who work hard but leave the life to go on to something more reasonable by way of making a living. For foodies like me this is helpful stuff in understanding the milieu I love to frequent.

I truly enjoy reading books on food and other writings from chefs. Many of these manage to convey not only atmosphere, but also the genuine love that professionals in the culinary industry have for food. Unfortunately this book does not convey any love of cuisine to the reader. I have read books by Michael Ruhlman, Bill Buford and others, and this book comes nowhere near the quality fo those simply because of it's lack of feeling. For all the emotion Mr Psaltis manages to convey, he might as well have been writing a book on computer programming. I am not asking for 'food porn' of any sort, but this book seems to be very soulless, and in the end comes out as quite boring reading. The author seems to have a very high opinion of himself, and not in a self-effacing manner either.

Full Disclosure: I am a friend of Andrew Psaltis (Doug's older brother) which is how I heard about the book in the first place!

Like Andrew I am in the tech field and my days are filled with reading dry, long, painful technical material. It was therefore a great escape to read about a world I know little to nothing about.

I enjoy good food as much as the next guy but it was very interesting to me how a chefs career progresses in the fine dining world. I wasn't looking for a super technical book about every fine meal that was prepared and thankfully Doug didn't do that (otherwise I would be better off reading my technical books!)

I think some of the other reviewers had some expectations going in that I did not. I was looking for a fun fast look into the world of cooking and the fine dining business. I think Doug did a good job giving a first hand view of it.

Oh, and it was a far faster read then my regular material, did I mention that! My one suggestions would be that it would have been great to have some photos in the book. The diner and perhaps some of the other places he cooked at would have been a nice addition to an enjoyable read.
- Ed Horley