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araleith's review
1.0
I didn't like this book at all. Cat Cora seemed to just whine about how hard life was for her and how much she suffered over and over to get where she was and how everything was more difficult for her because bad stuff happened because of who she was or aspects of her personality/sexuality. Not worth the read.
shereadersbookclub's review
4.0
I'll be completely honest. I had NO idea who Cat Cora was when I started this book. I have never watched iron chef or any other show she has been featured on. I don't even recognize her from the tabloid news that slips through onto my newsfeed all too often. I more just thought that this was a book abut cooking and that was enough for me to dive right in. With that being said, you know it's an amazing story when you are completely sucked in and anticipating what is going to happen next even though the author is a perfect stranger. Very good book! Especially, I imagine, if you are already a Cat Cora fan.
attytheresa's review against another edition
5.0
Cat Cora's voice is clear as a bell, and her story completely engaging. Food drifts in and around the events of her life, from her adoption into a Greek American to her family life with her sons and wife, always there but not distracting from the events that shaped her path.
Cora tells the difficult stories of abuse in childhood at the hands of a son of a family friend, to her struggle with her sexuality in the deep south, to her struggle against alcoholism in such an uncompromising manner as to be blunt to the point of starkness, ultimately reading as acceptance: Here Cora is, warts, bad ass chef, and all! And she slips us some great glimpses behind the scenes at Iron Chef America. Do they really have no advance knowledge of the secret ingredient? Read and find out!
A Christmas gift from a friend who is also partaking of the 2016 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge, it fits my read in a day category.
Cora tells the difficult stories of abuse in childhood at the hands of a son of a family friend, to her struggle with her sexuality in the deep south, to her struggle against alcoholism in such an uncompromising manner as to be blunt to the point of starkness, ultimately reading as acceptance: Here Cora is, warts, bad ass chef, and all! And she slips us some great glimpses behind the scenes at Iron Chef America. Do they really have no advance knowledge of the secret ingredient? Read and find out!
A Christmas gift from a friend who is also partaking of the 2016 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge, it fits my read in a day category.
biblioventurer's review
3.0
I learned so much about Cat that I hadn't known before. This was one of the most well-written and most engaging memoirs I have read. I also liked that Cat explained her worst moments as well as her best ones, for a more complete portrait of a celebrity chef.
starkrawzen's review
2.0
Just so-so writing but a quick read worth the time if you like Cat Cora or celebrity chefdom.
anna_luvs_cheez's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault
teamstarburger's review
5.0
I liked that this story was about her life, not just her cooking. A well written portrayal of growing up as a lesbian in the south, struggling to find your way, and sustaining a long term relationship. Obviously I loved her discussion of food and experiences on Iron Chef, etc, but it was the simple, honest feel of the storytelling that I connected with the most.
sunforsavannah's review against another edition
4.0
I chose to read Cat Cora's memoir mainly because I hadn't yet formed an opinion on her which was the perfect basis for eliminating basis upon reading a book. Despite my affinity for The Food Network, I never caught Cora on a show. About as much as I knew about her--her height, her hair color, and her cooking style--I could learn on her Wikipedia page. The more intimate details about her--her childhood, her education, her relationships--were mere questions in my mind before reading her memoir, Cooking As Fast As I Can.
This is one of my favorite memoirs because of Cat Cora's Southern charm, no-bullshit badassery, and selflessness. It is the perfect blend of food knowledge, as she includes some of her favorite dishes, childhood connections to cooking, and forays into the culinary world, and personal information, like where she grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, painful memories of sexual abuse, and learning how to navigate her sexuality. I never found myself at a loss for either food or secrets because Cora so effortlessly weaved the two together in an engaging way.
I appreciated Cat Cora's candidness about her life, especially her obvious, plentiful love for her family, her genuine remorse for her mistakes, and irrefutable passion for cooking. This is not one of those memoirs that simply reinforces how talented or successful a chef the author is. More than that, I was left realizing that above being a force in the culinary world, Cat Cora is also a devoted Southern girl, family woman with secrets like all the rest of us. The only difference between her and us is that she shares those secrets instead of harboring her regret.
This is one of my favorite memoirs because of Cat Cora's Southern charm, no-bullshit badassery, and selflessness. It is the perfect blend of food knowledge, as she includes some of her favorite dishes, childhood connections to cooking, and forays into the culinary world, and personal information, like where she grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, painful memories of sexual abuse, and learning how to navigate her sexuality. I never found myself at a loss for either food or secrets because Cora so effortlessly weaved the two together in an engaging way.
I appreciated Cat Cora's candidness about her life, especially her obvious, plentiful love for her family, her genuine remorse for her mistakes, and irrefutable passion for cooking. This is not one of those memoirs that simply reinforces how talented or successful a chef the author is. More than that, I was left realizing that above being a force in the culinary world, Cat Cora is also a devoted Southern girl, family woman with secrets like all the rest of us. The only difference between her and us is that she shares those secrets instead of harboring her regret.
gkmuller's review against another edition
5.0
Adoption, dealing with the lifelong repercussions of childhood sexual abuse, living as a lesbian in the south, substance abuse, struggling relationships, working as a woman in a "man's" profession, Cora's life had a lot of tough stuff that ultimately made for a very human story, imperfect and relatable.